The Kerala High Court has directed the Chottanikkara panchayat to take immediate steps for the establishment of a sewage treatment plant to resolve garbage disposal issues in and around the temple town.
The court also ordered that till the mechanism was put in place, the panchayat should make arrangements for the collection of all kinds of waste, including septage, and should dispose them of without causing inconvenience to the public. The present system of collection and disposal of waste should be stopped immediately, the court said.
It also directed that garbage should not be dumped in the open yard. The court ordered the local administration to make alternative arrangements to collect waste from restaurants and hotels.
The amicus curiae appointed by the High Court to study the problem of waste disposal had suggested that the grama panchayat take steps to set up a sewage treatment plant and stop the present method of waste collection.
In his report, the amicus curiae had pointed out that the panchayat had constructed only drains to carry rainwater and had not built any sewers to carry sewage or waste water generated in hotels or restaurants. The present practice of collecting waste water in an open space and keeping it for long hours would adversely affect the health of the people in the area. The panchayat had not taken any steps to implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2015, which came into effect from April 8, 2016. No effective steps towards waste management had been taken for the past many years at Chottanikkara, adversely affecting the environment around the temple town, the report added.
