Waste management is the biggest concern of most of the local bodies in Kerala these days and the smelly dumping ground is seen as a symbol of their failure in this area.
Thamarsery gram panchayat of Kozhikode district has tried to resolve both the issues and has been successful to a large extent. The panchayat has completely cleared its 15 year old dumping ground of all the old waste and now plans to build a waste management complex in the vacant plot of 4 acres.
Removing old waste, which included both degradable and non-degradable materials, was a daunting task, but was efficiently done by Green Worms Waste Management Services. “The trenching ground is situated on top of a hill within an estate and there was no proper road to the foothills. The waste was carried in small trucks to the foothills from where it was transferred to larger trucks. It took more than three months to clear the 358 tonnes of waste, said P.Prakashana, district coordinator of the Haritha Keralam Mission in Kozhikode. The waste was taken to a nearby cement factory where it was used as fuel in the furnace. Since it burns at a temperature of 2000 degree Celsius, it will not cause pollution, said Shree Prakashan.
The panchayat is now planning to develop the vacant land as a waste management complex which includes a waste segregation unit managed by the Harit Karma Sena of the panchayat. Sathar Pallipuram, coordinator of the Haritham Sundaram Thamarassery project, said a plastic recycling unit could be considered in the next phase, under which these activities are carried out. “Our HKS is now equipped to handle initiatives bigger than just collecting garbage from homes and shops. Panchayat waste management will be under the direct control of the complex”, said Panchayat Vice President Khadija Sathar.
The local body has made progress in achieving Zero Waste Panchayat status. “The city is much cleaner now and people do not litter, especially since the fines are very high”, said Ms. Sathar.
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