A drastic change in approach to waste management in Kerala is on the cards with the ₹2,400-crore Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP), partly funded by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), set to get off the ground next week.
Covering all 87 municipalities and six Corporations in the State, the project will take a hybrid approach, with a mix of decentralised and centralised waste management measures, compared to the predominantly decentralised approach being followed at present.
Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh told The Hindu that the focus would be on building the infrastructure for waste management at the urban local body level as well as at a wider, regional level over the project period which would last till 2027.
“Over the past year, as part of preparatory measures, we organised workshops and consultations for urban local body representatives as well as for the staff. The material collection facilities will be revamped into public spaces, known as green parks, and will have all the necessary facilities for the staff. The Habitat Technology Group has provided the design. Biomining, landfills, processing plants, incinerators for sanitary waste and recycling facilities will be part of the project. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategies to create awareness among the public about scientific waste management techniques is a key element, considering public opposition to waste management-related projects,” said Mr. Rajesh.
U.V. Jose, Deputy Project Director, said a comprehensive solid waste management plan with a vision for the needs that would arise in the next 25 years would be prepared for each urban local body.
“The local bodies will have to identify the existing gaps, prepare sub-projects for these and integrate it with the Annual Plan. A total of 350 trained staff have already been deployed in local bodies and at the district-level. Till now, we did not have human resources specialised in waste management in Kerala, as mostly local body health wing officials with a different set of skills have been deployed for it. So, now we are addressing this technical and skill gap too. Also, a State-level system, rather than a piecemeal approach driven by a few individuals who are committed to waste management, will be evolved. Even the World Bank is getting involved in a waste management project of such scale for the first time,” said Mr.Jose.
The current approach of the local bodies being seen as responsible for waste management in their areas will also change as it has now been acknowledged that not every issue can be handled by a local body alone. Regional and State-level waste management facilities are key to the project’s vision, with sanitary landfills also being planned in the north, south and central regions. Sites have already been identified for the various regional-level facilities.
Dust bins, which had disappeared from public spaces following a focus on decentralised, segregated waste management, are set to return. A set of dustbins for different kinds of waste will be placed in different locations within the city for segregated waste collection. Modern waste collection vehicles with segregated containers will clear the waste periodically.
Out of the total project cost of ₹2,400 crore, the World Bank and the AIIB will contribute a total of 70% funds, while the State government’s share is 30%. An amount of ₹800 crore will be spent on setting up regional facilities, including scientific landfills and processing facilities for construction and demolition waste, while the urban local bodies will get a total grant of ₹1,200 crore.
