About 2,000 households and establishments in Eloor and Maradu municipalities and Chottanikkara grama panchayat have registered for using the Haritha Mithram mobile application that aims to streamline waste collection and management in the district.
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The project is implemented by Haritha Keralam Mission (HKM) in association with Suchitwa Mission, Clean Kerala Company, and the Local Self-Government department (LSGD). The project was launched in the three civic bodies in the first phase. Members of the Haritha Karma Sena, who received training for gathering information, are involved in the data collection process. The mobile application was developed by Keltron.
A.D. Sujil, Chairman of Eloor municipality, said that about 1,000 households in five wards had installed the mobile application. “We are hoping to complete the process in the remaining wards by August 31,” he said.
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As per official estimates by the Suchitwa Mission, nearly 300 households have joined the smart garbage monitoring system in Maradu while the corresponding number in Chottanikkara panchayat is 262. The response from households and establishments has been slow, as people wanted to know the benefits of using the application. An awareness session is also provided to them about the advantages of using the smart app, according to officials.
The application will be available to local bodies for free under financial aid provided by the Suchitwa Mission to Keltron. The software will help in tracking waste collection by Haritha Karma Sena volunteers from each home. Waste generators can pay their user fee through digital mode. Data required for running the system will be integrated with the digital platform. Each house will be given a QR code. Members of each household could place the QR code at the entrance to the house.
Green volunteers engaged in waste collection will scan the code using their phones. They will also get information on residences and commercial establishments that have not yet joined the doorstep collection of non-biodegradable waste. Data on the quantity of waste collected and the user fee remitted by users will be uploaded to the centralised system. The app will help users raise complaints on the shortcomings in waste collection from households.