KOCHI: Even as waste management remains a hot-button issue in Kochi, a survey conducted by the city police has revealed that 174 flat complexes in the city neither have waste management units nor use waste collection facilities.
Despite the mandatory requirement of decentralised waste disposal facilities under the Kerala Building Rules, 511 out of 789 flats have no waste management facilities. The survey was held with the assistance of community police officers. According to the report, there are 45,241 apartments in 789 flat complexes in Kochi. Of this 35,026 are occupied.
As many as 18,405 are rented apartments and 17,518 are occupied by owners. As many as 1,232 apartments are occupied by bachelors. Of the 789 flats, 590 have no incinerators, with just 199 boasting such facilities. As many as 22 flats have bio-bins, eight have bio-gas facilities, eight use landfilling method, 58 have other facilities and 182 have facilities provided by Credai for food waste disposal.
Whereas 511 flats have no such facilities for food waste disposal. Similarly, 413 flats depend on waste collection agencies of Kochi corporation, 112 rely on agencies under Kudumbashree and 90 on other private agencies. This means that 174 flat complexes are not even using the service of waste collection agencies or using their own waste management system.
The waste management situation was mentioned by City Commissioner K Sethu Raman in his report to the state chief secretary in the wake of the fire at the Brahmapuram waste yard. Sethu Raman also promised to immediately implement waste management units at all police quarters in the city.
According to him, flats which lack decentralised waste management systems were contacted by respective station house officers (SHOs). “Meetings were convened at the station level and almost all flats have agreed to install a decentralised waste disposal plant on their premises. They have sought technical support. Kochi mayor M Anilkumar interacted with representatives of flats on March 20 at a meeting,” the report said.