KOCHI: The garbage crisis in Kochi has brought to the fore the poor state of solid waste management in Kerala, which— because of high density of population, modern lifestyle and an extensive network of roads— could be reckoned as an urban sprawl.

Reminiscent of the nuclear-waste-laden European ships being rejected by country after country way back in the 1990s, garbage trucks from Kochi are fobbed off by neighbouring towns and villages as well as neighbouring States. The resistance by the residents of Brahmapuram, in Vadavukodu-Puthencruz panchayat in Ernakulam district, to the Kochi Corporation's attempt to dump large quantities of garbage in their midst has acquired dimensions of a mass movement. The picturesque village, which is home to the failed Brahmapuram power plant, has been up in arms for weeks.

The people's ire against the city Corporation has mounted after the High Court early this week directed that the Kochi garbage be dumped on the Corporation's land in the village until a permanent treatment plant is set up there. Had the city bothered to enforce the waste management norms before, they would not have become the victims of its garbage, the Brahmapuram residents say.

Environmentalists warn that if the cities and towns across the State do not quickly put in place the mandatory solid waste management (SWM) mechanisms, Brahmapuram-like agitations would mushroom. It is not the lack of laws, they point out, but the lack of will and initiative on the part of local government bodies and district administrations to enforce the laws that has brought things to such a pass. The Kerala Municipalities Act has a large number of provisions concerning public hygiene and solid waste. The provisions No. 326 to No. 345 of the Act deal with solid waste management alone.

Central legislation

The Central Government's Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000, hailed as a great piece of legislation for scientific waste management, mandated all city and town governments in the country to enforce the rules by December 31, 2003. None of the five city corporations and 53 municipalities in the State could effectively put its provisions into practice.

According to a rough estimate, Kerala now generates 3,000 tonnes of solid waste every day. Less than a half of this is even removed from the streets and only a tiny fraction is processed or recycled. The rest gets mixed up in water bodies, soil and air, thus contaminating water, air and food.

Environmentalists say that the only viable, long-term solution to the mounting garbage piles in the State is the rigorous implementation of the Rules. But this should be done on a mass-participation basis, says M.M. Abbas, president of the Mannira Jaiva Malinya Samskarana Society, an organisation promoting organic farming technologies.

"No waste management programme will succeed without the full participation of those who generate waste, that is, you and me." Mr. Abbas suggests that municipalities and city corporations should create ward-level waste-management committees headed by respective councillors. There should also be committees for clusters of houses and apartment complexes. This should be done on a participatory, voluntary basis.

`Throwaway culture'

The solid waste problem intensified in the State over the past decade. The spread of a `throwaway culture,' backed by a consumerist lifestyle, has been the main villain. The popularity of packaged products and disposable goods promoted this `culture.'

The overuse of non-biodegradable plastic carry-bags (supermarkets have been the main culprits; a five-shop supermarket chain in Kochi hands out four lakh carry bags a month) added to the woes. The ban on use of plastics below 50 microns remains on paper.

Environmentalists say that only if waste management becomes a mass movement and is integrated with measures of environmental conservation can the problem be effectively fought.

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