Unauthorised dumping of legacy (old) waste in vacant land and plots earmarked for construction of buildings is continuing unabated in Ernakulam.
Around 10 truckloads of old waste, including construction waste, plastic, and discarded tyres, were dumped on a private land at Edamula under Eloor municipality two days ago. The land is located near the Edamula bridge in Ward 13 of the local body. Representatives of the council and officials of the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) visited the site.
The preliminary inference was that the waste was generated at a few apartments in the Kochi Corporation. It was transported and dumped at the site in violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The unauthorised dumping was done under the guise of filling up the land for construction work.
The Eloor municipal secretary served a notice on the landowner. The notice said that around 10 truckloads of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste were dumped at the site in violation of the provisions of the Kerala Municipal Act.
The local body has asked the landowner to remove the waste within 24 hours. It should be processed scientifically, and the action taken report should be submitted to the PCB. If the directive is not complied with, action will be taken against the landowner under the Kerala Municipality Act, it said. Though the landowner claimed that the waste was brought to the site for sorting, the authorities rejected the argument.
