KOCHI: Cheranelloor, a suburb on the banks of the Periyar River, is slowly becoming an open-air dumpster. Piles of garbage lie strewn about on roadsides, forcing passers-by to palm their noses to avoid the stench.
A lion’s share of the blame has fallen on the panchayat officials, for their perceived inaction in dealing with waste. Villagers also hold accountable the non-residents for exacerbating the trash problem.
While it’s true that visitors contribute to the litter, a closer examination by TNIE revealed a broader issue of residents attempting to deflect responsibility.
Harita Karma Sena, made up of Kudumbashree women, only charges Rs 50 monthly to collect, move, process, and recycle/dispose of plastic waste from each household. However, they say most residents shy away from paying even this meagre amount.
This is despite the recent government move mandating using a Green Card or Harita Karma Sena user fee card for accessing certain government services. The motive behind the move was to improve waste management participation. However, Cheranelloor’s scenario is proof enough that the project’s implementation has gone haywire.
“My team collects waste from around 450 houses across the 17 wards in the panchayat here. Many residents dump waste on uninhabited lands nearby or burn it,” says Sumathi Karunakaran, the consortium president of Harita Karma Sena here.
“The dumping of waste is like a chain reaction. If one person starts dumping their waste at a certain spot, the others follow,” she adds.
Nestled between two major hospitals, Cheranelloor has a unique problem. A majority of the houses here are occupied on rent by medical professionals. Many of them lack a Green Card. Landlords, responsible for facilitating their tenants’ compliance with waste management regulations, often lack awareness themselves.
Recently, the panchayat authorities installed CCTV cameras across the village to crack down on those dumping waste illegally. “Though such interventions are great, the panchayat has to be more adept at monitoring and taking action against defaulters,” says Shaji V A, a resident.
“Ultimately, it is the residents’ broken civic sense that’s the biggest contributing factor,” he adds.
This is collaborated by Cheranellore panchayat president K G Rajesh. “Last year, we distributed 3,000 bio pots to the residents to help them manage food waste. Many expressed their difficulties in using them. In response, we set up public aerobic composters. People can bring their food waste as per their convenience. However, only a few do. Most here are lazy,” he says.