Pushing the Kochi Corporation, which is struggling to streamline its waste management process, into a deep crisis, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has slapped a show-cause notice on the civic body for its “faulty waste management and pollution of the Kadambrayar.”
The corporation has been held responsible for “operating a solid waste disposal site without a valid statutory clearance from the board.”
The notice has been served at a time when the civic body is struggling to streamline its waste management programmes at Brahmapuram ahead of a three-day visit by a National Green Tribunal delegation. The team is expected to reach the city later this week.
The facilities provided for treatment and disposal of solid waste at Brahmapuram are not properly maintained. Solid waste, including plastic waste, is found dumped in open spaces.
There were instances of unscientific treatment of biodegradable waste, and huge quantities of rejects were found dumped in places close to the Kadambrayar, according to the notice served by M.A. Baiju, Chief Environmental Engineer, KSPCB. The untreated leachate was found discharged into a collection pit from which it overflowed into the river system. The Kadambrayar is one of the critically polluted river stretches, said the notice which was issued last week.
The corporation has also been held responsible for not submitting an action plan for bio-mining as specified in 2016 Rules. There is no facility for door-to-door collection and proper segregation of waste, and the plant building at Brahmapuram has collapsed at various ends.
The notice warned the civic authorities of legal action if they failed to reply. Violation of the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, cautioned the KSPCB, were punishable with imprisonment up to five years and a fine of ₹1 lakh. Subsequent violations will invite higher punishments, according to the notice.
The board intended to initiate legal action against the civic body by invoking Section 5 of the Environment Protection (Act) for not complying with the directions of the National Green Tribunal and the board, the notice said.
Responding to the developments, V.K. Minimol, chairperson of the health standing committee of the corporation, said the civic body would reply to the notice shortly.
