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Kerala govt launches solid waste management project worth ₹2,400 cr
The development comes after a massive fire broke out at the waste treatment plant in Brahmapuram in Kochi in March this year
KOCHI: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday launched the ₹2,400 crore Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP), an ambitious technology-driven plan aimed at making the state’s 93 urban local bodies self-sufficient in collecting and treating garbage by March next year, officials said.
The development comes after a massive fire broke out at the waste treatment plant in Brahmapuram in Kochi in March this year. Though there were no casualties, the fire resulted in high levels of smoke and pollutants, that remained in the air for almost two weeks, as fire and rescue officials found it hard to control the fire. The incident underlined the need for a sustainable waste treatment model in the urban areas of the state that ranks high on social and human development indicators.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the programme in Kochi, CM Vijayan said, “As 90 per cent of the state’s population is projected to live in cities and towns by 2035, Kerala is bracing for stronger garbage management by converting the challenge into an opportunity.”
“The government is striving to make full use of the possibilities of the increasing urbanisation. As part of this motto, we are implementing nature-friendly development projects, transportation models with minimal air pollution and conservation of water bodies, besides charting new course of waste management,” he added.
The KSWMP is being implemented by the state government with funding aid from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and will cover 87 municipalities and six municipal corporations of the state.
In it’s second stage, KSWMP’s ambitious ‘Maattam’ project has “enabled 422 urban local bodies (ULBs) to sort 90-100 per cent of their waste at the source-of-origin stage,” the CM said, underlining the role played by 33,378 volunteers of the green force ‘Haritha Karma Sena’. He said that 73 per cent of the state’s houses and 63 per cent of businesses under ULBs have a system where waste will be sorted at their doorsteps.
Local Self-Government Minister MB Rajesh said, “The first phase of KSWMP drew encouraging response, with the percentage of doorstep garbage collection rising from 48 to 78. Of the state’s 93 ULBs (87 municipalities and six corporations), 31 have prepared blueprints where they will carry out sub-projects of big initiatives.”
