The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Sanitation drive facing hurdles

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Sanitation drive facing hurdles

Staff Reporter

Lack of co-ordination between the agencies concerned

— Photo: S. Gopakumar

RAISING A STINK : Garbage dumped by the side of the National Highway bypass.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Lack of co-ordination between various agencies and the absence of a concrete action plan targeting specific issues of sanitation remain the major impediments to the pre-monsoon cleaning drive in the city.

More than a week after Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurated a pre-monsoon cleaning drive of the City Corporation at Eenchakkal, coconut shells remain heaped along the National Highway bypass as potential breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Accumulation of plastic and garbage in neglected ponds and other water bodies has raised concern. “There are over 100 ponds in the city and the Corporation has begun temporary cleaning and maintenance works as part of the pre-monsoon sanitation drive. We are also planning a comprehensive project to clean the ponds and grow larvivorous fishes in it with the support of Matsyafed,” said Corporation Health standing committee chairman G.R. Anil.

He said the Corporation health standing committee would discuss measures for effective disposal of coconut shells. “We are considering a tie-up with organisations or groups that may need coconut shells as raw material for production of various items. The Corporation may also decide to take action against people, including tender coconut vendors, who abandon coconut shells along the waysides,” he said.

Lack of co-ordination between the local bodies and health service institutions has hit effective implementation of the cleaning drive. “We have been attending meetings called by the Corporation, the District Medical Officer and the Indian Medical Association. A lot of discussions take place at these meetings. But, there is absolutely no co-ordination between these agencies,” said Federation of Residents’ Associations, Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT) general secretary Rajagopalan Nair. He said though the FRAT had held meetings of the representatives of its member-residents’ associations, it was difficult to ascertain whether the issues discussed at these meetings reached the grassroots level.

“It is important to involve residents of the city in the sanitation drive who need to co-operate with the health workers to keep their neighbourhood clean,” he said.

FRAT zonal secretary V.N. Shanmukhan Pillai said cleaning of water bodies had not been given priority in the sanitation drive this time. “Our zone, which includes Jagathy, Aarannoor and Valiyavila, has a good number of neglected ponds and water bodies that have become breeding grounds of mosquitoes. Health and sanitation workers only clean the roads and drains and the water bodies remain as such,” Mr. Pillai said.

He said many vacant plots in the area had such small water-bodies.

“In many cases, the owners of these plots are not staying here and so it remains unattended. This also encourages people to dump waste there,” he said.

The polluted Parvathy Puthanar canal is another vector breeding centre in the city.

Long stretches of the canal are choked with water weeds. Sewage contamination of the water poses a public health hazard.

Mr. Anil said the Corporation was helpless in the matter, as the canal fell under the jurisdiction of the Department of Water Resources.

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