The Kottayam Municipality has decided to make the source-level waste disposal system mandatory for commercial establishments. Municipal chairman M.P. Santhosh Kumar told The Hindu that the local body would ask the commercial establishments, especially restaurants and other eateries, to set up their own waste disposal units.
“The establishments will be provided a period of three months to comply with the norm. Notices in this regard will be distributed by municipal workers from Monday onwards,” he said.
According to him, the restaurants and the abattoirs that dump waste materials at public places have contributed a great deal to the waste management problem.
“The successful implementation of the guidelines could lead to a significant decrease in the quantity of waste needed to be managed by the municipality.
The licenses required for new establishments would be provided only if the necessary facilities are ensured. The municipality would also resort to measures including cancelling the licenses of existing establishments that fail to comply with the system,” Mr. Kumar said.
He said the municipality had commenced the distribution of biogas plants for households as part of its source-level waste disposal programme. “Two thousand units, each capable of processing 2.5 kg of waste per day, are being provided. In addition to this, measures are also being taken to distribute 2400 vermi-compost and pipe compost units.
The municipality will provide 4400 waste disposal units within a period of six months,” he said.
The municipality is also planning to establish three biogas plants. Each of them will be capable of processing two tonnes of waste. The biogas plants will cost an amount of Rs 22 lakh per unit, he said. Talks are also on with traders for procuring a mobile incinerator.
Vadavathoor
Regarding the existing stalemate with the Vijayapuram grama panchayat on the Vadavathoor dumping yard issue, Mr. Kumar said the stance of the grama panchayat was unreasonable. “An immediate solution is impossible. The waste that has accumulated over close to 70 years remained unprocessed at the yard.
The municipality would require the assistances of the State government and the Suchitwa Mission to resolve the issue at the earliest,”he said.
3-month deadline for business houses
Municipality to set up biogas plants
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