KOCHI: The disposal of waste from flood-hit houses has landed authorities in trouble as waste flushed out from houses is piling up in the roads and open places. Aluva, Eloor and Kalamassery have been hit the most and the authorities have no clue about managing the situation.
Antony Kuriakose, of Thotakattukara, near Aluva, said the furniture and electronic equipment at his house are non-functional after the flood.
"My house is constructed in 2.5 cents land. Placing all these waste goods inside the compound is not possible. So we have shifted these damaged goods and furniture outside the gate hoping that the authorities will shift it from there. The municipality had promised to take all the waste. But the waste is still in front of the house," he said.
People fear the accumulation of the waste may lead to a disease outbreak. Lissy Abraham, the chairperson of Aluva Municipality, said they have asked four agencies to dispose of the waste. However, removing all the accumulated waste will be a time-consuming process. "We are getting almost a truckload of waste from one or two houses. For the past three days, waste disposal work is going on. The waste collected from the house is shifted to another place and from there it is segregated and taken to disposal plants," she said.
According to her, the drains are clogged and it can lead to a flood like situation after another rain. "As part of the pre-monsoon cleaning drive, all the drainages were cleaned at cost of `25 lakhs. However, all those drainages are now clogged in with waste and slush. We have to find a huge fund to clear the drainages. We will form an action plant for this purpose," she said.
Suchitwa Mission District coordinator Siju Thomas said the government has given strict direction to local self-governing bodies about waste disposal at flood-hit places. "We have asked local self-governing bodies to form an action plant to prevent people from dumping waste in drainage or other water bodies. The local self-governing bodies should collect household waste and entrust it to agencies to dispose of it," he said.