Kerala’s waste makeover meets poll silence

In early March 2023, a massive fire engulfed the garbage dump in Brahmapuram, where most of the waste from the Kochi Corporation area and surrounding municipalities is collected. As the fire continued to consume piles of waste for days, Kerala’s public sphere was filled with questions regarding the effectiveness of waste management measures taken by the State government and local self-government bodies.

But two years later, as the State gears up for local body elections, waste management, despite being one of the core responsibilities of local bodies, receives only a passing mention in the campaigns of various parties. The Brahmapuram fire, in a way, became the catalyst for the State government to launch the Malinya Mukhtham Navakeralam campaign; Within the scope of this campaign, comprehensive steps were taken, such as creating more infrastructure for waste collection and processing, accelerating waste collection and even making changes to the laws.

Panchayat and municipal Acts were amended by the Haritha Karma Sena to make user fee mandatory for waste collection. Although there was initial grassroots opposition to the move, the door-to-door waste collection rate, which was less than 50 percent before the fire, approached 90 percent within a year. The number of material collection facilities across the state has also increased.

According to statistics of the Local Self-Government department, 59 old waste dumps covering an area of ​​127 acres and containing 19.13 lakh tonnes of waste have been cleared across the state. Lalur, one of these garbage dumps in Thrissur, has been transformed into the site of the IM Vijayan Sports Complex, which was inaugurated earlier this month. As part of the Brahmapuram master plan, a ₹310-crore bio-park scheme has also been launched in Brahmapuram.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala dismissed the State government’s claims on waste management, calling them “absolutely false”. Although Haritha admitted that the Karma Sena had improved waste collection, he said the disposal was ineffective.

“The government could have properly managed waste by involving local institutions, but unfortunately it did not provide them with sufficient funds. So even if companies or municipalities wanted to take waste management measures, they could not do it. Waste remains a big problem in cities. That is why we said that if we win the local government elections, we will do it effectively.” Hindu.

IM Vijayan Sports Complex in Lalur, which was once the dumping ground of Thrissur city. | Photo Credit: KK NAJEEB

Local Self Government Minister MB Rajesh says Opposition parties are probably avoiding raising waste management as an election issue because it would likely highlight the effective steps taken by the government.

“UDF’s election manifesto on waste management makes it clear that they are unaware of the real reality. The biggest change has been in solid waste management, with the provision of door-to-door collection of 98.5% of non-biodegradable waste and the establishment of compressed biogas (CBG) plants, five of which will soon be operational, handling almost the bulk of biowaste. Four Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) plants, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable waste have been completed and four regional wastes to handle sanitary waste.” “The facility has been tendered and the remaining challenge is to process liquid waste and raise awareness to prevent littering,” he said.

One of the problems facing the government is local opposition against the establishment of waste management facilities, as witnessed against the establishment of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Avikkal Thodu in Kozhikode in 2022. Much of the opposition has arisen from past experiences with the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant in Thiruvananthapuram and the Njeliyaparamba plant in Kozhikode. The government has highlighted the smooth functioning of the STP at Muttathara in Thiruvananthapuram as part of its awareness campaigns. The Muttathara plant and the licensing system introduced by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in 2019, which addresses most of the septic waste discharge issues, could be a system that can be replicated elsewhere.

Earlier this year, a small fire broke out at the garbage dump site in Brahmapuram. Even though it was published recently, it served as a reminder that waste management is a process that requires constant and ongoing attention. The duties of local self-governments, which will take over next month, have been interrupted.