Municipalities in Ernakulam fail to ensure proper waste management: survey

‘Common facilities provided by civic bodies have turned into dumping sites’

A survey by the State Pollution Control Board has found that the “common facilities” for solid waste management provided by the municipalities in Ernakulam have turned into mere “dumping sites”. The survey was carried out by regional officers under the Ernakulam office of the board from February onwards. A preliminary assessment revealed serious lapses in the scientific management of solid waste generated in the civic bodies. The board has informed the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal that the survey has reached the half-way mark and it was delayed owing to the pandemic crisis. The field-level officers found that only dumping of mixed waste was taking place at the centralised facility of Kothamangalam municipality in Kumbalathumuri. Several pockets have turned in to dumping areas. The civic body has not yet begun the management of old waste. In Muvattupuzha, the centralised facility was found located at the municipal boundary. Dumping of mixed waste was found at the site. Decentralised facilities were provided at the household level. Several pockets have turned into dumping areas while the civic body has not yet started the management of old waste lying in heaps.