Garbage dumps, stray dogs poke fun at city’s clean image
KOCHI: The Union government has selected Kochi as the fourth cleanest in the country, but piled-up garbage and stray dog menace still haunt the city.
Waste movement from parts of the city, especially west Kochi areas, is not regular. Septage management is another area where the city lacks basic facilities.
Though the civic body has been managing solid waste treatment using the dilapidated Brahmapuram plant, the facility may stop working anytime and the proposal for a modern waste-to-energy plant is still on papers.
Areas from the city generate 150 to 180 tonnes of solid waste per day and a major portion is transported to Brahmapuram.
However, there are complaints against the improper waste movement from colonies where economically backward families live.
“Though the central city areas boast of proper waste management and high sanitation standards, the situation is different in west Kochi. Failure remove waste poses serious health hazards as the rotten garb-age heaps along roadsides spread diseases,” said Nambyapuram division councillor Thampi Subrahmaniam who has been raising the issue in council meetings for long.
However, he added that when compared to other towns, Kochi’s waste management system is far better.
Meanwhile, opposition leader in the corporation council, K.J. Jacob, said the Swachh Bharat ranking would not be of any significance as there will be no funding or projects based on the sanitation standards.
“The Union government should make it clear whether the solid waste management practice is the only criteria to decide a city’s hygiene standards,” he said.
While announcing the ranking, the officials said that the criteria for ranking are prevalence of open defecation and solid waste management practices in a particular city.
