Haritha Karma Sena members collecting waste at the green check post in Munnar
With the reports on wild elephants eating waste from the Munnar panchayat’s dumping yard at Kallar raising concerns, the panchayat has strengthened the initiatives to stop the dumping of plastic and food waste at the hill station.
According to Munnar Panchayat officials, a green check post has begun functioning at the Headworks dam near Munnar town to collect plastic waste, and provide awareness to the tourists.
Munnar panchayat secretary K.N. Sahajan said that two more green check posts would be set up soon at Chatta Munnar near the town and the Botanical Garden of the Munnar- Bodimettu route of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway.
“Every day, the panchayat area generates nearly eight to 10 tonnes of waste which includes wastes that are non-segregated. Throwing and dumping of non-segregated waste is the major concern in Munnar. The panchayat has already decided to take strict action against those who throw non-segregated wastes in the hill station,” said Mr. Sahajan.
Mr Sahajan said that the Kerala High court had sought an explanation from the panchayat over the the incident where wild elephants were found eating plastic waste from a dumping yard. “The panchayat will submit a detailed affidavit before the court next week. We will inform them of our limitations and plans to address the issue,” said the official.
“ The present waste treatment plant is functioning at Kallar in only 50 cents of land. The present area cannot treat the huge amount of waste generated from the destination. At weekends and holidays, a large number of tourists arrive at the hill station and increase the quantity of waste,” he said.
M.N. Jayachandran, district secretary of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said that the panchayat should collect a surcharge from tourists to manage the waste issue in Munnar. “The surcharge can be imposed based on the polluter pays principle. Considering the prime habitat of wild elephants, including animals, a proper waste treatment system is necessary for the hill station,” said Mr Jayachandran.
The waste management issue in Munnar came to light on Thursday when wild elephants were found eating plastic waste from a dumping yard at Kallar, near Nallathanni. After the incident, Munnar panchayat officials started to clear the non-segregated waste from the dumping yard.
