KOCHI: The football frenzy has taken the urban and rural areas by storm. The huge flexes put up by the fans present a very noticeable proof. However, once the Football World Cup gets over, these fans will go back to their routine work, oblivious of the environmentally hazardous monstrosities they have left behind.
According to S Gopakumar, president of Better Kochi Response Group, the flexes are a big menace. "They are as big a menace as plastic," he told Express. "In fact, they pose a very big problem. These huge hoardings are not only an eyesore, but also a huge waste of money. They have validity only for the very few days the world cup matches are on," he added.
Once the matches are over or the favourite team loses, the fans move on, he added. "They don't bother to remove the hoardings and over a period of time these flexes, battered by the elements, present a sad version of their former glorious selves," he said.
According to Gopakumar, the flexes are made of polyvinylchloride (PVC). "They don't degrade easily and are called poison plastic. It leaches harmful chemicals into the soil and finally into the groundwater. PVC can't be burned because it releases toxic fumes that are carcinogenic," said Gopakumar.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned the use of flexes, but the directive is yet to be implemented in the state. In a GO issued in 2015, the Kerala government had stated that directives had been issued regarding enforcing control over the erection of flex boards. But it couldn't be implemented due to some technical reasons. "The main reason being non-availability of an alternative," the GO stated. The government had issued an order allowing the use of PVC-free materials for banners and posters. The order had mentioned using 100 per cent environment-friendly polyethylene to make flexes.
According to Gopakumar, the political parties, sports fans and also advertisers need to look into alternatives like cloth and reinforced paper. "We are experimenting with a type of cloth. We found Buckram fabric can be used to make banners and flexes. The fabric is used to stiffen the shirt collars and pictures can be printed on it. But since each fabric comes in pieces and its width is small, in order to make a big banner we need to stitch many together," he said.