KOCHI: The idea to set up a waste treatment plant under the Ponnurunni railway overbridge bloomed in 2023, following the massive fire at Brahmapuram dump yard. Two years on, the Ponnurunni division of the Kochi corporation has set an example in decentralised waste management by implementing the HEAL Ponnurunni project. The acronym stands for health, environment, agriculture and livelihood.
On March 30, the HEAL Ponnurunni Society, which manages the project, launched an enriched fertiliser produced from food waste collected from households, under the brand name ‘Heal Environment’.
“The society has been cultivating vegetables using the compost produced at the plant. Having tested the quality of the product, we launched the micronutrient-enriched product for sale,” Ponnurunni East councillor Dipin Dileep told TNIE.
HEAL Ponnurunni sells the product at `25/kg. Under the project, as many as 30 compost boxes were installed on the vacant area below the overbridge. The aerobic composting facility has a capacity of 60 tonnes, with 20 to 25 days required to prepare the compost.
“The trial run was launched in August 2023. We installed compost boxes to store the household waste by the Haritha Karma Sena. Around 1,700 kg of biodegradable waste is collected every day,” Dipin said. Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar said initiatives to enhance decentralised waste management will bring in a positive change. “Kerala has favourable climatic conditions. We need to protect our resources, including soil. If everyone comes up with such initiatives, we can bring a change to the system and protect the environment,” Anilkumar said.
Following the success of the HEAL model, Baby Pereppadan, mayor of South Dublin County in Ireland and representatives of GIZ from Germany visited the Ponnurunni waste treatment plant.
HEAL Ponnurunni also aims to improve the health and hygiene of the community and help generate sustainable employment. “We want to support the local economy and ensure a society-driven, community-based system with people’s participation,” Dipin said.
