The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Town panchayats develop kitchen gardens with manure from compost yards

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Thursday, Dec 11, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Town panchayats develop kitchen gardens with manure from compost yards

K. Manikandan

— Photo: A.Muralitharan

Useful option: Bottle gourds are among the vegetables grown in the kitchen garden of the Perungalathur town panchayat.

TAMBARAM: Two urban local bodies in the southern suburbs of Chennai have demonstrated the use of applying organic manure generated in their compost yards to grow vegetables in kitchen gardens maintained by them.

The Sholinganallur and Perungalathur town panchayats have taken the lead in experimenting with this concept that has proved successful. In Sholinganallur, the kitchen garden is developed on a piece of land measuring 10,000 square feet, behind the office of the Town Panchayat on Rajiv Gandhi Salai.

Arvind Ramesh, Town Panchayat Chairman, said K.Gopal, Commissioner of Town Panchayats, had encouraged urban local bodies to come up with innovative schemes in addition to following the laid down norms in collection and disposal of garbage.

The compost yard to convert kitchen waste into organic manure was put in place and the first batch of the manure was recently harvested. Instead of selling them in the market or handing them over to the Agriculture Department, they decided to use the manure themselves and as vacant land was available within their premises, they developed the garden, Mr. Ramesh said.

Officials said that they had planted maize and some other vegetables and harvested about 200 maize which they sold at Rs.2 each to residents. Apart from using the manure for the garden, they also sold it in small packets priced at Rs. 2 each.

In Perungalathur, the kitchen garden is being raised on a two-acre plot in Gundumedu area near the compost yard. Ladies’ finger, brinjal, varieties of gourd, spinach and bananas, were being raised now.

They had also planted bamboo and saplings of fruit trees, including jackfruit, mango and guava. In addition, marigold, hibiscus and jasmine flowers were planted. At present, the vegetables harvested were distributed free of cost to the local body’s staff but soon, they would be charting out a clear cut policy on sale of vegetables.

Officials said source segregation made it possible for them to convert kitchen waste into manure. The compost yards have sheds that comprise more than a dozen bins. These bins generate about 50 kilograms of organic manure once in 45 days. With an assured supply of manure that is also certified by the government staff in these local bodies are left with the task of taking proper care, including watering and deweeding.

The Perungalathur Town Panchayat has put in place, a massive scheme along with a non-governmental organisation to ensure that sound solid waste management practices are followed. They added that a similar proposal was formulated for Kunrathur Town Panchayat and hoped that other urban and rural local bodies would follow suit.

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