The Kerala Kshetra Samrakshana Samithy (KKSS) and Sabarimala Ayyappa Seva Samajom (SASS) will together launch Swatch Pamba Project to clean up Pamba and Sannidhanam, said K.S. Narayanan, general secretary, KKSS and Swamy Ayyappa Das, general secretary, SASS, here on Wednesday.
Speaking to mediapersons, they said the project will commence on January 20, the day when Sree Ayyapapa Temple closes after the pilgrim season, with the launching of the Swatch Sannidhan Project which forms part of the larger Swatch Pamba Project and aims at cleaning up the Sannidhanam.
According to them, according to last year’s estimates, nearly 4.40 crore people visited the Sannidhanam during the short period of 67 days. They left behind nearly 2,200 tonnes of waste during the period, at the rate of just 50 grams per person. It is estimated that 60 per cent of this would be non-degradable waste. As per estimates, nearly 31,500 tonnes of non-degradable waste had accumulated at the Sannidhanam during the past 30 years. The immediate action should be to remove this five to eight foot deep layer of waste from the forest area.
They said some of the misconceptions had also led to the polluting of the Pamba. Pilgrims are seen dropping their cloth in the Pamba as a ritual. This has no religious backing, they said.
The need for cleaning the Pamba was most important for the people of Kuttanad as the river flows into Vemabanad lake, they pointed out. Out of the 179 km of its length, the river flows through forest areas for 52 km and the rest through nearly 40 townships and villages. They also contribute to the polluting of the river.
They said it was not fair on the part of the authorities to put the entire responsibility for the cleaning of the river on the pilgrims. The State government and the local bodies too had to play their role.
The Swatch Sannidhan programme would mark the beginning of a signature campaign in which the signatories would have to chip in with Rs.2 per signature. The plan is to collect signature from one crore people and to present the signature and the amount collected to the Prime Minister on May 16, 2015, which happens to be the 49th annual day of the Kshetra Samrakshana Samithi, they said.
