Thamarassery shows the way in tackling garbage problem

Local body makes progress in achieving zero-waste panchayat status

Waste management is the biggest worry of most local bodies in Kerala these days and the stinking dumping grounds are considered a symbol of their failure in this sector.

Thamarassery grama panchayat in Kozhikode district has made an effort to resolve both the issues and has succeeded to a great extent. The panchayat has completely cleared its 15-year-old dumping ground of all the legacy waste and now plans to build a waste management complex in the now empty 4-acre plot.

Removing the legacy waste, which consisted of both degradable and non-degradable materials, was a hard task but was carried out efficiently by Green Worms Waste Management Services. “The trenching ground is situated on a hilltop within an estate and there was no proper road to the foothills. The waste was transported in small trucks till the foothills from where it was shifted to bigger trucks. It took more than three months to clear 358 tonnes of waste”, said P.Prakashan, district coordinator of Haritha Keralam Mission in Kozhikode. The waste was transported to a nearby cement factory where it was used as fuel in the furnace. As it burned at a temperature of 2000 degree Celsius, it would not cause pollution, Mr. Prakashan said.