The Local Self-Government department (LSGD) has issued guidelines to local bodies to carry out an intensive cleaning campaign of waterbodies and public spaces across the State ahead of the monsoon. The latest guidelines have been issued to implement the directions issued by the Kerala High Court to civic bodies to come up with an alternative and viable proposal for solid waste management, while considering a suo motu writ petition following the Brahmapuram blaze.
As per the latest guidelines, the civic bodies have been asked to form volunteer forces at the ward level consisting of Haritha Karma Sena members, residents’ association representatives, National Service Scheme members, School Police Cadets, youth clubs and members of traders’ organisations to remove waste that has accumulated. In case sanitary waste or animal carcasses are found in waste dumps, deep burial of these have to be carried out as per the earlier directives of the Central Pollution Control Board.
Geo-tagging of all major waste dumps has to be done and the amounts of different kinds of waste in each waste dump has to be identified. Waste dumps that have formed in unused plots belonging to private individuals also need to be cleaned up. Non-biodegradable waste collected from waterbodies and waste dumps have to be dried, segregated and handed over to the Clean Kerala Company as per the existing arrangements. The local bodies have to pay the Clean Kerala Company for the removal of waste which cannot be recycled, in case there is no other arrangement to dispose of the waste.
They can also make arrangements with local scrap dealers to collect waste. The rest have to be taken to the material recovery facility, from where the Clean Kerala Company will collect it. A WhatsApp group has to be created and publicised for the public in each local body area to send photographs and complaints regarding waste dumps.
