No land for waste

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the infamous waste dumping spots at Erumakkuzhy and other adjoining areas becoming a thing of the past, the civic authorities have landed in a soup with no space to manage the huge quantity of waste generated under various wards under the Chalai and Sreekanteswaram health circles. This has raised serious concerns about the decentralised waste management system promoted by the city corporation. The civic authorities are finding it difficult to collect and segregate tonnes of waste getting dumped in public places. 

Chalai ward councillor Simi Jyothish said that there is no land for managing waste in her ward. “We are facing a huge crisis now. During Attukal Pongala, we had made special arrangements and used land in the Attukal ward for managing waste. We are back to square one as we cannot transport the waste from Chalai to other wards. Earlier, we were depending on the Trida-owned land at Attakulangara for managing waste. They have reclaimed the land for the other project,” said Simi Jyothish.  She said that the matter is under discussion. 

“The new council took charge recently and it will take some time for the administration to study and take effective steps to manage waste,” she said.Huge heaps of waste are emerging every day on the Thakaraparambu flyover near Power House. An official of the corporation health wing said that they are unable to set up aerobic bins in Sreekanteswaram ward. 

“We have been trying to find suitable spots to  set up aerobic bins in the area but we couldn’t do the same because of public resistance. This is one of the prime issues for the waste management crisis. If there was a facility, our workers would be able to collect the accumulated waste from public places and scientifically dispose them of,” said a health official. 

“There are no CCTVs on the bridge. People dispose of the garbage during their morning walks,” said the official. According to the authorities, even if the CCTVs are installed, there is no mechanism to track them. “Once the Integrated Command and Control Centre under the Smart City project comes up, we can effectively monitor such violations,” said the official.