Fire breakout exposes gaps in waste management in Kalamassery
The Hindu
No concrete steps taken to remove legacy waste from yard
The latest incident of a major fire breakout at the waste dumping yard of the Kalamassery Municipality in north Kalamassery has once again exposed the gaps in the solid waste management scenario in the civic body.
Despite repeated incidents of serious violations of the norms under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the authorities and the enforcement agencies have not been able to act tough against violations and find a scientific solution to the vexed issue, according to the timeline of events and official records.
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board had slapped a penalty of ₹2.47 crore as environment compensation on the municipality for its failure to comply with the provisions of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 in 2019. The fine was imposed as per an order issued by the National Green Tribunal. The study by the board had found that only one-fifth of the waste generated was disposed of as per rules.