Kerala - Alappuzha   

Women sweep away garbage problem

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, APRIL 5. When a group of determined women formed a self-help group here a year ago under the guidance of a woman municipal councillor to clean Alappuzha Municipality, many had raised their eyebrows.

Will such a group succeed in an area where well-equipped municipal workers have failed? Will they be able to persuade the residents of the town to cooperate with them?

But after a year, the 10-member Aiswarya Group, which has its centre at Palace Ward here, has proved cynics wrong. The group led by Krishnamma has succeeded in keeping a large portion of the ward and nearby areas clean by their systematic work.

The group goes to houses, shops and hotels in the morning, collects garbage and transports it to a public place in a trolley from where the municipal cleaning workers take it to the dumping yards. They charge Re. 1 for houses and Rs. 5 for hotels and big shops for a day. According to Ms. Baby, Councillor of Palace Ward, a large number of houses and shops in the area were cooperating with the unit.

Earnings

All members of the group hailed from below poverty line families and they had been able to earn a livelihood through the cleaning programme. Each member could earn approximately Rs. 2,500 every month, Ms. Baby said.

Two other women self-help groups engaged in cleaning had been formed in the town following the success of the Aiswarya group. And more such groups were likely to come up soon, Ms. Baby said. According to her, the success of the group could be attributed to the promptness in work. Ms. Baby said that the idea of setting up a group was floated by the Kudumbasree Mission. The Alappuzha Municipality had also cooperated with the project. At first, the members of the group made contributions. That, along with bank loans, made the capital for buying equipment and uniform for workers, Ms. Baby said.

At first, the houses and shops that sought the unit's help were few and the amount they got was enough only for repaying loans. But later, more and more shops and houses sought help, she said.

Now, a large number of women are approaching the Aiswarya unit for training in carrying out cleaning programmes. The unit was providing them training, she said.

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