A district-level monitoring committee has been formed to keep a close tab on the bioremediation projects being implemented by the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) at Wadakkanchery, Kunnamkulam, and Chalakudy municipalities.
The district panchayat executive engineer, Local-Self Governments department, will lead the committee, which has environment engineer, Pollution Control Board (PCB), Thrissur; deputy district coordinator, environment engineer, and social and communication member of the KSWMP; and the Suchitwa Mission district coordinator as its members.
Legacy dumpsite
Meanwhile, stakeholder consultation meetings were held at Wadakkanchery municipality to brief the elected representatives and the local community about the features of the bioremediation project to retrieve the legacy dumpsite at Kumbalangad by adhering to socio-economic and environmental safeguards.
The legacy garbage dumpsite at Kumbalangad is one of the spots selected for bioremediation as part of the ambitious project being implementedwith the World Bank’s aid to regain the garbage dump sites in over 20 towns across Kerala.
Another meeting of the local community members, and Haritha Karma Sena members was held at the waste management plant at the Kumbalangad dumpsite. P.N. Surendran, Wadakanchery municipal chairman, addressed the meetings.
The officials explained about the socio-economic and environmental advantages of the scheme, including the proposal to turn the site into a space that serves the public interest in a better way.
Elected representatives, officials, and experts of the KSWMP responded to queries from the local community regarding details of the project. The biomining work at Kumbalangad will be carried out by Nagpur-based SMS Pvt. Ltd., whose officials were also present at the meeting.
To address concerns
It was also decided to form a committee to address the concerns of the local community regarding the project at various stages of its implementation. A WhatsApp group that includes the ward member and representatives of the community has also been formed for seamless communication.
Citizens can report any waste management complaints or avail waste management services by calling the KSWMP grievance redressal toll free number 1800-425-0238 or by sending an email to grmkswmp@gmail.com . They can also download the KSWMP Citizen App from Google Playstore.
