THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tackling waste in the coastal wards under the corporation area continues to remain a challenge for the city corporation. Even months after launching the Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam campaign and deploying Haritha Karma Sena for door-to-door waste collection, waste management continues to be a reeling issue in the densely populated coastal wards.
Lack of waste management infrastructure, hesitancy in paying waste handling fee and non-cooperation from the residents are some of the major issues prevailing in the 14 coastal wards coming under the Thiruvananthapuram corporation’s jurisdiction. Poonthura, Vizhinjam health circles are the worst affected. The civic body has achieved around 90% waste collection coverage after the launch of the Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam campaign.
It is learnt that a large majority of the families are unable to adopt source-level waste management facilities, including kitchen bins and biogas plants, owing to space constraints. The monthly user-fee charged by the civic body for waste management is unaffordable for many families. Poonthura ward councillor Mary Jipsy said that the fee for food waste collection has been hiked and now each household has to pay `300 for handling biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
“Haritha Karma Sena members are also struggling as timely payment of user fee is not happening; `300 is a huge sum for many families. Thumburmuzhy aerobins are ineffective as the quantity of food waste is more. At present, the food waste is being carted away to pig farms by private service providers,” she said.
The wards coming under the Poonthura health circle comprising wards including Bheemapally East, Bheemapally, Puthenthoppu, Poonthura are the worst affected by the waste crisis. “People are not ready to avail of the services of Haritha Karma Sena. Its not affordable to them and the corporation council should take a call on this and give waiver for such families from coastal wards,” said a health official of Poonthura health circle.
The official said that the families are dumping or throwing waste into the sea. The health authorities have mooted the setting up of a biogas plant at Muttathara on the premises of sewage treatment plant (STP). “Lack of waste infrastructure is a major issue and the setting up of a biogas plant would help resolve the crisis.
To begin with we have mooted a biogas plant that can treat 500 kg waste and later we can scale up the capacity,” said the official. A senior official of the health wing under the city corporation said that the civic body has deployed Haritha Karma Sena in all 14 coastal wards.
“The government has given waiver for disabled and elderly. The fisherman community doesn’t come under this category and we have decided to give 50% discount in the user fee. A campaign is going on to educate the population in coastal wards,” said the official.
Hindering factors
Major issues are lack of waste management infrastructure, hesitancy in paying waste handling fee and non-cooperation from residents
Majority of the families are unable to adopt source-level waste management facilities, including kitchen bins and biogas plants, owing to space constraints
User-fee charged by the civic body for waste mgmt is unaffordable for many