Thiruvananthapuram: Civic authorities in Kerala are struggling to clear debris left behind after the recent floods. They claimed that 13,000 tons of bio-waste have been processed, out of over 15,000 ton that was collected. However, there has been hardly any progress in the areas that were badly affected by the floods in August.
Forty-one urban bodies face the maximum pile-up of junk and at many places both authorities as well as residents are are finding it extremely hard to get rid of waste. In Ponnani in Malappuram, tension flared between local people and municipal authorities the other day as the latter tried to dispose of large quantity of waste in the sea.
Panchayats have no idea how to handle waste material collected by Kudumbashree workers and volunteers of the National Rural Employment Generation Scheme. Panchayats and volunteers are doing their best to remove stinking silt that has accumulated on house premises and on the streets, but there has been little headway.
Abandoned beds, pillows, clothes, car seats etc, soaked in floodwaters can be seen lying in heaps in public places. Many have kept beds for drying on house terraces and plan to burn them later. The civic bodies are ignoring the health risks posed by burning them as their safe and convenient disposal itself is a major worry.
The latest status of waste disposal from the worst-affected Alappuzha to Thrissur districts are as follows:
* Panchayat-level waste collection hasn't even taken off in several parts of Kuttanad which still remain inundated. Trash lying under water adds to the threat.
* In Chengannur, destroyed household items and e-waste have piled up on house premises and on the roadside. The municipality normally dumps waste at Perumkulam, a kilometre away from the town. New garbage is being piled on top of old one lying soaked in rainwater there.
* Plastic waste poses threat in Vembanad Lake. Silt and even carcass that collected on the banks of Meenachil and Manimala rivers have been removed only partially.
* Clean-up in Kottayam town has been hindered as the waste-processing plants here have been drowned in floodwaters. Waste disposal has not picked up in the district headquarter areas.
* Garbage has gathered in heaps at Karimban, Vazhathope, Thadiyampad, Painav, Cheruthoni and Paremav areas of Idukki district. The waste-processing plant attached to Cheruthoni dam had stopped working before the flood.
* The situation is better at Adimali, where plants were installed recently. In Munnar, waste has been removed to a great extent after a joint effort by local people.
* Waste removal is not proceeding effectively at Aluva and North Paravur, both being areas that were most affected in the flooding caused by the swollen Periyar. Garbage piles are seen on the roadside in several parts of N. Paravur. In Kanakkankadavu, Puthenvelikkara, a cow's carcass still remains on the regulator-cum-bridge. The civic bodies here say workers are not available for the task.
* Shops in Aluva are full of waste material, while decaying vegetable items lie on the streets
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