94% of garbage ‘hotspots’ in Kerala cleared

6,055 garbage 'hotspots' identified in Kerala since March 2023; 5,715 cleared by Sept-end. 2,888 on vacant lands, 2,683 along roads, 484 along water bodies; 94.3% cleared by local bodies to make State garbage-free by 2025. Ernakulam (812), Kozhikode (625), Thiruvananthapuram (564) had highest spots; Wayanad (63) lowest. Fines imposed, CCTV surveillance stepped up.

About 6,055 garbage ‘hotspots’ were identified across the districts in Kerala since March 2023.

The dumping spots were geo-tagged as part of the ‘Waste-free Kerala’ initiative of the Local Self-Governments department. Of the total 6,055 active garbage spots, about 5,715 sites have been cleared by the local bodies as of September-end, according to official estimates.

Geotag refers to an electronic tag that assigns a geographical location to a photo or video.

The enforcement agencies and special squads deployed to check illegal waste dumping identified around 2,888 garbage hot spots on vacant lands. Around 2, 683 spots were found along the road stretches, while nearly 484 garbage spots were located along the water bodies, which included rivers, lakes and canals. The figures revealed the rampant illegal waste dumping in open land, road stretches and water bodies across Kerala.

Of the 2,888 garbage spots on vacant lands, 2,683 have been cleared. About 2,586 hotspots along the road stretches have also been removed. Nearly 446 dumping spots along the water bodies have also been cleared. About 94.3% of the hotspots have been cleared after the civic bodies stepped up action aimed at making the State garbage-free by 2025.

Ernakulam had the highest number of garbage hotspots (812) followed by Kozhikode (625) and Thiruvananthapuram (564). Wayanad had the lowest number of garbage dumping spots (63).