The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on solid waste management appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has termed the solid waste management scenario in Kalamassery municipality as “unscientific”.
SLMC chairman A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai, who inspected the dumping yard of the civic body at North Kalamassery on Thursday following the massive fire that erupted along the plastic heaps lying at the site on Tuesday, directed the municipality authorities to step up measures to resolve the widening gap in the solid waste management system without delay.
“I will be submitting a detailed report on the fire incident and the lapses in the management of solid waste in Kalamassery before the tribunal,” said Mr. Pillai.
M.A. Baiju, Chief Environmental Engineer, Ernakulam, of the State Pollution Control Board, and A.K. Naishad, chairman of the municipality’s health standing committee, were present at the site.
The SLMC chairman pointed out the shortcomings in the segregation of waste brought to the site and recommended steps as per the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The municipality authorities claimed that the non-biodegradable waste was washed and cleaned before it was brought to the site. They said an agreement was signed between the civic body and the government’s Clean Kerala Company for the safe disposal of non-biodegradable waste.
The SLMC has asked the authorities to ensure that the waste taken out of the site was disposed of as per norms. It should not be dumped in other States or places in violation of the rules. Those responsible for such acts would face action, it said.
The board informed the SLMC that the municipality was yet to take its approval for the management of waste at the dumping site. It had also not complied with the earlier directives to plug the loopholes in the waste management process.
