Residents in several parts of Kozikode city wake up these days to the smell of toilet waste deposited on the roadside. With the vigilance unit of the corporation health wing being allegedly lax during the pandemic, such incidents have become rampant, and efforts to nab the culprits have failed in most cases.
Waste dumping usually takes place at night, and the dumping spaces include the lonely stretches at Elathur, East Hill, Edakkad, bypass, and Pottammal-Palazhi road.
“This was not an issue earlier when we had a designated squad to check such illegal activities. But in the present circumstances, all our officials are engaged in COVID-19 duty, and we are not in a position to depute any one for the purpose,” said K.V. Baburaj, health standing committee chairman of the corporation.
ADVERTISEMENT
The civic body had earlier nabbed culprits in such cases with the help of vigilance squads comprising local people. Later, CCTV cameras were set up to track such activities. However, miscreants managed to dupe the cameras with fake number plates. The corporation had recently released a video footage showing dumping of toilet waste on the roadside near East Hill from a truck, with a car in the background for protection. However, the culprits could not be traced.
The septage treatment plant (STP) of the corporation coming up near the Government Medical College is expected to be solve problem. However, the construction of the ₹14-crore plant is likely to take yet another year to complete.
“The plant is enough to handle the requirements of the entire city. It can handle up to 20 loads of waste a day,” said R.S. Gopakumar, health officer in the corporation.
ADVERTISEMENT
The civic body’s efforts to set up a mobile STP also failed due to technical reasons. The system, which was temporarily used to clean up septic tanks at schools following the 2018 floods, was a success though.