Karnataka Pollution Control Board Chairman A.S. Sadashivaiah has said that the way solid waste is disposed of in Mangalore has to improve significantly.
He was speaking after inaugurating the common effluent treatment plant set up by the Fishmeal and Oil Manufacturers' Association at Kotepura near Ullal on Saturday.
He said the present system of solid waste management was inadequate and there should be a scientific way of disposal of garbage from the city. The present system of landfill had not gone well as people near the site of disposal (Vamanjoor) had raised objections, he said.
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Mr. Sadashivaiah said the waste should be converted into wealth and used for producing energy. This had been done in Salem and Pune, he pointed out.
“We should have such systems in urban areas such as Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, Belgaum and Hubli,” he said. He said in Germany electricity was being produced from used tyres. “With about 800 to 1,000 vehicles being added to Bangalore's traffic, we should see this as an opportunity,” he stated.
Mr. Sadashivaiah said the Kotepura common effluent treatment plant was only the second such unit in the State
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The absence of common treatment plant had been a matter of concern in Kotepura area because it had become a nuisance for people who had to bear with the stench.
The association members pooled in Rs. 2.5 crore to set up the plant. The Kotepura plant will treat 6 lakh litres of effluent a day and this is designed to treat 30,000 litres per hour.
U.T. Khader, MLA , and president of the association M. Shawkath Showry were present.