Disposal of garbage in and around S. Kannanur town panchayat where the Samayapuram Sri Mariamman temple is located has been posing a challenge. So, the town panchayat has evolved a comprehensive plan to handle it efficiently.
Any isolated area or canal is being converted into a dumping yard -- testifying scarcity of space to set up a compost yard, the need of the town panchayat.
With a limited space measuring 230 feet in length and 150 feet in breadth, the compost yard of the panchayat had been overflowing over the years. The daily collection of garbage stood at 6.5 tonnes a day -- the largest for any any town panchayat in the State.
The volume would be much more during the annual or monthly festivals at the temple. Most of the garbage contained bio non-degradable waste, making it tougher to dispose, as the area of the compost yard has been quite inadequate to handle the garbage. So, a piece of land belonging to another department was being used for dumping the garbage.
This apart, a piece of land adjacent to the Pullamppadi canal, an isolated area, is being used not only to dump the garbage but also for burning them.
Sources said that the volume of garbage was so huge that it was too difficult to segregate. A steady spread of smoke being fanned out by strong air currents can be seen round-the-clock in the area. Most of the garbage is non-degradable waste.
So, the panchayat has chalked out a plan to segregate the bio-degradable and bio-non-degradable garbage at source, according to N. Kumaran, Executive Officer of the panchayat. “We have distributed two bags to sanitary workers to collect the bio-degradable and bio-non-degradable garbage,” he said.
Samayapuram being noted for its significance from the heritage perspective, the town panchayat has advised sanitary workers to collect the empty plastic and ghee bottles or containers in one bag and other degradable waste in another. An estimated 500 pavement vendors are located in Samayapuram, selling variois articles and dishes.
“A sustained campaign is being conducted to sensitise the traders not to use polythene bags,” he said.
With the maha kumbabhishekam of the temple scheduled for February 6, the authorities have planned to make Samayapuram a zone free from the hazards of plastic waste. he said. A meeting with traders is scheduled to be within a few days seeking their cooperation to avoid the use of plastic materials and polythene carry bags.
