To address the problem of pollution experienced by tourist places in Kottayam district, the legislative committee headed by KPA Majeed, MLA will soon submit a report to the Kerala government.
As part of this, the committee held a meeting with various stakeholder agencies on Thursday and discussed ways to formulate a strategy for waste management in sites ranging from the Vembanad Lake to the hills. The meeting observed that the practice of waste-dumping at public places including water bodies was rampant in the district and called for collective action of the local bodies along with the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) and the tourism department to check this menace.
Speaking on the occasion, officials of the Pollution Control Board explained in detail about the mechanism for treatment of solid waste generated from houseboats. The Kumarakom Panchayat, however, informed that the waste treatment from the houseboats was not being done effectively.
Addressing the meeting, the port official said that 1,700 houseboats registered in Alappuzha were plying on Vembanad Lake in Alappuzha and Kottayam. He also said that steps have been taken to procure a new barge for the DTPC in Alappuzha to dispose of the waste generated by the houseboats.
The meeting directed the Kottayam Municipal Secretary to take immediate action to remove the garbage accumulated on both sides of the roads within its limits.
After the meeting, the committee visited the houseboat sewage treatment plant at Kavanattinkara and assessed its operations. The committee also inspected tourist places in Chipungal, Thanneermukkam and Kumarakom.