KOCHI:The post-flood cleaning activities launched by the district administration in Ernakulam concluded on Sunday. The biggest challenge was the removal of non-biodegradable waste from the flood-affected areas, said Ernakulam District Collector K Mohammed Y Safeerulla.
The waste collection drive was carried with the help of the Kerala Suchitwa Mission, Health Department and local bodies. The waste materials were collected from 57 local bodies in the flood-affected areas. In the drive, a total of 2,12,009 houses were cleaned. As many as 80,335 wells were also cleaned in the district.
Around 11,000-tonne non-biodegradable waste materials were collected from the flood-hit regions in the district. The waste collected was transported to four collection points - Brahmapuram, Amabalamugal, Edayar and Kalamassery - in around 3,000 trucks and Taurus lorries. The non-biodegradable waste materials mainly include e-waste, beds, pillows, mattresses and carpets. The spare parts of vehicles damaged in the foods also contributed to the waste accumulated. While around 950 tonnes of spare parts were given to Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Co Ltd, around 600 tonnes were transported to Pigments India Ltd. Another 360 tonnes were transported to HMT. The other non-biodegradable waste materials, including plastic covers, bottles, rubber products, iron rods and card boards, were also collected as part of the drive.
The plastic products will be recycled with the help of GE Ecopower and Clean Kerala companies. However, the waste segregation process, which will take months to be completed, is going to be be a herculean task for the district administration. It is planning to seek the help of various scrap workers for the process. Haritha Kerala Mission coordinators Sujith Karun and Siju Thomas, supervisor of Panchyat Department performance audit Dimple Magy and Health officer P N Sreenivasan led the cleaning activities.
Waste segragation
The Kochi Corporation authorities have already expressed their apprehensions over the delay in segregating waste accumulated at Brahmapuram. According to Mayor Soumini Jain, a special council session will be convened to discuss treatment of huge quantity of waste collected from inundated areas.
Bio-degradable waste
Around 13,000 tonnes of bio-degradable waste was collected from the flood-affected areas in the district.
This waste was treated at the source itself. As many as 2,691 carcass of big animals, 2,462 carcass of small animals and 1,45,150 birds were also buried.