THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has pulled up the city corporation for poor waste management and has demanded a report from the civic body on its action plan to prevent the severe pollution happening to the water bodies in the state capital, especially the Karamana –Killi-yar River.
The state committee of the NGT, who carried out a spot visit last Friday, expressed dissatisfaction in the way the civic body is implementing the solid waste management rules in the state capital. In a meeting held with various departments on Saturday, the NGT has demanded an action plan from the civic body on the steps being planned for preventing pollution.
The committee has rapped the authorities for the overflow of sewage waste to the stormwater drain network, which is posing a serious threat to the water bodies and the public.
According to sources, the state committee is planning to take up the matter very seriously with the NGT. The NGT had earlier imposed a fine on the Kochi Corporation for poor waste management.
“The state-committee of the NGT will be regularly monitoring the pollution happening because of flaws in waste management. The committee obser-ved that the state capital doesn’t have adequate sewage network to prevent pollution,” said an official.
Lack of facility for treating biomedical waste is one major issue which would be taken up by the NGT, the official added. An official of the pollution control board (PCB) said that steps would be taken to ensure that the solid waste management rules are properly implemented by the local bodies.
An official of the city corporation said that lack of land for setting up more decentralised waste management plant is one prime reason for the pollution.
“NGT cannot put the blame on us alone. This didn’t happen overni-ght and cannot be fixed immediately. 58 acres land is lying unused at Vilappilsala and the government should take steps to provide corporation with more land for setting up decentralised facilities for waste management,” said an official of the city corporation.
