Bad Civic Facilities. What can we do about it?
{Originally posted on 17 July 2007}
Every day now, newspaper discuss about waste disposal problems being faced by Kochi. Household gunk is piling up on street corners. Worried housewives ask their neigbhours apprehensively, “Will the waste remover come today?”.
Kochi is not yet Mumbai. It is not even close to Bangaloru. Yet the Kochi Corporation cannot cope with the demands of waste disposal right now.
About 250 tonnes of solid waste is generated in Corporation areas daily. Out of this, biodegradable waste is only 10 to 20 tonnes. Imagine what how much it will be 5 years from now. 10 years from now.
It is not the incompetence of the people running the Kochi Corporation or their inefficiencies that are the reason for this, as most would point out.
It is just indicative of our mindset. We are complacent. We don’t foresee or anticipate change.
Our town planners cannot even imagine a solution beyond ‘dumping’ waste as landfills.
The problems with dumping solid waste at Brahmapuram are :
• Brahmapuram does not stand up to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines for selection of sites for land-filling.
• Brahmapuram is far from the place where the waste is generated (Kochi).
• Kadamprayar, a major drinking water source, is close to the site.
• Studies indicate that pollutants entered the water especially during high tide.
• The air and water quality in Brahmapuram, is already affected.
The lives of those living in the vicinity of Brahmapuram have turned to hell. Now even a Malayalam movie with Kalabhavan Mani as hero has been made about the politics of waste disposal called ‘Nagaram’.
The most interesting thing is that – all the things that we throw away can be recycled or converted into something useful. Bio-diesel and power can also be generated.
Household waste need not pile up on street corners. They do because there is no place to throw them into. If waste tied up with plastic doesn’t pile on street corners, it will not fall into our open drains and cause water-logging during rains.
Large bins are necessary. The bins should have separate sections for various wastes. Plastic in one – Glass in one – metals in one and household food waste and paper in another. Recycling becomes very easy. The plastic, metals and glass will get removed away by rag-pickers. The food / paper waste can be degenerated into compost.
What I mean is that without even going in for advanced, sophisticated waste recycling plants, there could be temporary solutions. Even thought such a plant is a necessity for the future. And as citizens who pay tax (if one does ), it is time to demand the setting up of a modern, futuristic recycling plant. And to add Recycling Technology as a branch in the curriculum at any of our universities.
Tip: Squirt some scent / perfume in to your kerchief. You’ll need it every 100 meters to cover your nose with while travelling by road.
Kochi is not yet Mumbai. It is not even close to Bangaloru. Yet the Kochi Corporation cannot cope with the demands of waste disposal right now.
About 250 tonnes of solid waste is generated in Corporation areas daily. Out of this, biodegradable waste is only 10 to 20 tonnes. Imagine what how much it will be 5 years from now. 10 years from now.
It is not the incompetence of the people running the Kochi Corporation or their inefficiencies that are the reason for this, as most would point out.
It is just indicative of our mindset. We are complacent. We don’t foresee or anticipate change.
Our town planners cannot even imagine a solution beyond ‘dumping’ waste as landfills.
The problems with dumping solid waste at Brahmapuram are :
• Brahmapuram does not stand up to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines for selection of sites for land-filling.
• Brahmapuram is far from the place where the waste is generated (Kochi).
• Kadamprayar, a major drinking water source, is close to the site.
• Studies indicate that pollutants entered the water especially during high tide.
• The air and water quality in Brahmapuram, is already affected.
The lives of those living in the vicinity of Brahmapuram have turned to hell. Now even a Malayalam movie with Kalabhavan Mani as hero has been made about the politics of waste disposal called ‘Nagaram’.
The most interesting thing is that – all the things that we throw away can be recycled or converted into something useful. Bio-diesel and power can also be generated.
Household waste need not pile up on street corners. They do because there is no place to throw them into. If waste tied up with plastic doesn’t pile on street corners, it will not fall into our open drains and cause water-logging during rains.
Large bins are necessary. The bins should have separate sections for various wastes. Plastic in one – Glass in one – metals in one and household food waste and paper in another. Recycling becomes very easy. The plastic, metals and glass will get removed away by rag-pickers. The food / paper waste can be degenerated into compost.
What I mean is that without even going in for advanced, sophisticated waste recycling plants, there could be temporary solutions. Even thought such a plant is a necessity for the future. And as citizens who pay tax (if one does ), it is time to demand the setting up of a modern, futuristic recycling plant. And to add Recycling Technology as a branch in the curriculum at any of our universities.
Tip: Squirt some scent / perfume in to your kerchief. You’ll need it every 100 meters to cover your nose with while travelling by road.
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