Kerala - Kochi   

Recipe for clean development

Hermann-Josef Pelgrim

R.Ramabhadran Pillai, in a chat with the Mayor of Schwabisch Hall city in Germany, finds out how the city has put into practice gabage disposal in an environment-friendly manner.

Schwabisch Hall has a clean look thanks to the environment-friendly policies adopted by the administration. Cleanliness is perhaps the hallmark of the city,says Hermann-Josef Pelgrim, who has been elected the Mayor of Schwabisch Hall a city of about 40,000 people in Germany for the second time.

Garbage removal in the city goes on without any hindrance. There is a precision in executing the work related to the chain of activities, he says.

The garbage generated in households are segregated there itself by members of the house. Separate containers for keeping organic and inorganic waste material are provided by the city administration. These containers can be found in front of every house.

The waste material collection is done regularly and the citizens are given advance information.

In fact, a calendar detailing the arrival timings of the vehicles that remove the garbage from each residential area is distributed among the people.

Violation of rule of the city for keeping it clean is dealt with firmly by imposing penalty. Those who drop waste material on the road or at public places have to pay heavy fine.

The garbage accumulation starts from the first bag of waste deposited at the public place. It has to be monitored. There are squads to monitor it. Can such a practice be adopted in a city like Kochi? Certainly, says Mr. Pelgrim. But discipline among the city dwellers is essential for the success of the project, he observes.

An important aspect is that the citizens have to pay for the service. Will Kochiites be ready for such a paid service, he asks.

The garbage is removed to energy generation plants. It could be replicated in cities such as Kochi.

Germany has acquired the finest technology for generating energy from garbage, Mr.Pelgrim says.

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