The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has planned to set up six solid waste management units and mini sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the jurisdiction of six gram panchayats soon.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the zilla panchayat P. Shivashankar told The Hindu on Sunday that the these units and plants would be set up on a pilot basis. The gram panchayats of Ujire, Dharmasthala, Kinnigoli, Kukke Subrahmanya, Konaje and Golthamajalu had been identified for setting up these units.
He said that the tourist inflow to places such as Kateel under Kinnigoli gram panchayat, Kukke Subrahmanya, Ujire and Dharmasthala has forced the respective gram panchayats to launch such a plan. Konaje and Golthamajalu gram panchayats have been facing problems with managing the solid waste, which is said to be dumped in their jurisdiction from nearby towns.
Mr. Shivashankar said that a team of officials of the zilla panchayat and secretaries of the above said gram panchayats visited Mysore recently to study the functioning of STPs and solid waste management units there. A non-governmental organisation is managing those plants there for the Mysore City Corporation.
He said that the team had reported that it saw the process of solid waste being converted into manure at Mysore. Even the sewage treatment plant was functioning well. However, at gram panchayat level, mini sewage treatment plants could be set up, the team had said. Mr. Shivashankar said that the six gram panchayats would be asked to utilise the prize money of Nirmal Gram Puraskar, which they have received from the Union Government, for implementing the proposal. The award has been received by all the 203 gram panchayats in the district. However, there was variation in the prize money, depending on the population of the gram panchayats. Gram panchayats with less than 4,000 population received Rs. 2 lakh, between 4,000 and 10,000 population Rs. 4 lakh and those with more than 10,000 population received Rs. 6 lakh.
If the six gram panchayats fell short of funds, the zilla panchayat would support them in completing the project, he said.
Mr. Shivashankar said that the land for setting solid waste management units had been identified in the jurisdiction of some of the six panchayats.
The zilla panchayat would prepare a detailed action plan for this project within 10 days, he said.
