Only 0.6% of the nearly 6.73 tonnes of waste generated in Aluva is treated as per norms, according to official estimates.
The gap in waste management was nearly 6.06 tonnes per day. The inference made by the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) revealed that the untreated waste was either dumped or transported outside in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The municipality has not yet set up facilities for solid waste processing. It should have identified suitable sites for such facilities. Sanitary landfill sites have to be procured as per the SWM Rules, 2016. The door-to-door collection of segregated waste should have been carried out in covered vehicles to a processing or disposing facility by April 8, 2019, according to the board.
The civic body has failed to set up solid waste processing facilities for 0.4 to 0.54 kg/person/day of waste generated before the April 8, 2019 deadline prescribed by the Centre. As per the order issued by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, the civic body should have complied with all environmental statutes by October 25, 2019.
But the municipality authorities were found to have violated the rules by not adopting suitable measures for solid waste management. Despite repeated directions by the board, the civic body has not taken steps to provide bio-methanation plant for the waste generated on a daily basis.
The civic body was still transporting its biodegradable waste to the Kochi Corporation’s solid waste management facility, which remains in a dilapidated state. The non-biodegradable waste was disposed of at the hazardous landfill of Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL) in Ambalamedu. This facility is meant for the disposal of hazardous waste only as per the Hazardous Waste Management Rules, according to a notice issued by the board.
The board had assessed an environment compensation of ₹2.12 crore for the civic body’s failure to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules from April 9, 2019 to December 31, 2020.
