Garbage-free Kerala: 820 towns to get ‘Green’ tag on Nov 1
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant move to attain garbage-free status for Kerala by March 2025, the state government launched the initiative to transform at least one town in every local body into a model of effective waste management with the active participation of local community.
For towns to achieve the ‘Green Town’ tag, the panchayat should adhere to a strict set of guidelines that include 100% waste segregation, no garbage burning, beautification efforts, community-led cleanup activities, liquid waste management, and installation of dustbins.
Vice-chairperson of Haritha Keralam Mission, T N Seema, told TNIE that almost every local body in the state has actively participated in the efforts to transform towns into green towns. “We laid down the guidelines and formed a team to evaluate the efforts for giving the status. This evaluation will be a continuous process. There should not be any public dumping, grey water should be properly managed and all bulk waste generators in a town should have a proper waste management system. Haritha Karma Sena members should segregate and remove waste during regular intervals,” said Seema. She said community ownership is one of the keys to make these initiatives successful and sustainable.
“Our efforts have just begun. This is just an initial target we gave local bodies with November 1 deadline. By March 2025, almost every town in Kerala will be transformed into a green town. The local bodies that are unable to select a town can pick a proper junction or visible area for the status,” she added.
Munnuperiya, a small town in Kannur’s Peralassery grama panchayat, is among the 820 panchayats awaiting the ‘Green Town’ declaration. Located along the Kannur-Kuthuparamba state highway, its local community along with traders came together to transform Munnuperiya town into a beautiful and green town.
Sugathan K K, welfare standing committee chairman of Peralassery panchayat, said everyday cleaning activities kick off at 5am and continue for an hour. “The town area is so immaculate that people wouldn’t feel like littering. We reconstructed the bus shelter and there was an abandoned well. We gave a total facelift for the town,” said Sugathan.
Officials said the cooperation of traders is key. “All traders should have proper waste disposal mechanisms or arrangements with Haritha Karma Sena. Dustbins should be installed to collect bio and non-bio waste separately. We are still updating the number of panchayats and by November 1 more towns will be eligible for the status,” said an official.