Preparations are on to ensure that the Cochin Carnival’s New Year celebrations remain “green”.
Single-use plastic items, including plastic bags, plates, cups, and spoons, will not be permitted at the carnival venue at Fort Kochi. Drinking water will be provided in steel glasses to avoid purchase of plastic bottles, and e-toilets have been set up. Separate dustbins for biodegradable and recyclable waste are also being set up.
Pappanji, the effigy, will still be burnt to signal the end of the year, but attempts were made to ensure that no plastic was used to make the figure. Decorations and banners at the carnival have all avoided use of plastic.
The efforts to turn the event into a green one is part of the Green Cochin Mission’s initial activities to create awareness on waste generation and management. The mission, set up a month ago and spearheaded by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), has roped in 20 Government departments, NGOs, and private agencies to alleviate the city’s waste management woes.
Post-festivities, a clean-up drive will be conducted at Fort Kochi on January 2 from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. with help of local residents and a Green Commando team of volunteers. The Kochi Corporation will offer assistance in collecting and transporting waste.
Awareness drives on waste segregation and plastic ban are being conducted at schools and for the general public to prevent further generation of plastic waste. The mission’s broad aim is to turn Kochi into a “green city”, removing waste accumulated around the city and in waterbodies.
The DLSA has sought the cooperation of the district administration, Kochi Corporation, Suchitwa Mission, Motor Vehicles Department, Childline, Indian Medical Association, and Haritha Keralam to implement the Green Cochin mission’s agenda.
Kerala Legal Services Authority (KELSA) Chairman Justice C.K. Abdul Rahim, KELSA Member Secretary K.T. Nisar Ahmed, and Deputy Mayor K.R. Premakumar were present at a press meet here on Saturday that detailed the carnival’s green mission.
