High-rise buildings have been given time till October to rectify shortcomings in waste management systems as squads comprising officials of the Department of Local Self Government and Suchitwa Mission start inspecting apartment complexes, offices and commercial institutions in Ernakulam as part of a State-wide drive. The bulk waste generators will have to set up treatment plants and other waste management systems as per the environmental norms prescribed within two months.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
Local bodies have initiated review of waste management systems in high-rise buildings in Kochi as part of a directive by the Department of Local Self-Government to ensure compliance with various environmental norms.
The secretaries of local bodies were told to carry out site assessments to take stock of the source-level systems for management of biodegradable waste. The collection and disposal of plastic waste had also been reviewed. Apartment complexes, offices, auditoriums, convention centres, malls and other establishments that come under the purview of bulk waste generators will be covered under the first round of assessment.
T.K. Ashraf, chairperson of the health standing committee of the Kochi Corporation, said on August 27 (Tuesday) that around 65% of the high-rise buildings under the civic body had installed source-level systems for waste management. The apartments that had achieved compliance had initiated proper measures as part of the Clean City Movement of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI), he said.
The high-rise buildings found lagging behind in ensuring proper waste management systems will be given time to resolve the shortcomings. The Department of Local Self Government will initiate the next round of site-level inspection in apartments and other high-rise buildings that are yet to ensure compliance.
C.A. Benny, chairman of the health standing committee in Thripunitura municipality, said that multi-level approaches had been initiated to achieve the goals prescribed by the Department of Local Self Government. “We are focusing on awareness programmes involving various stakeholders at the ward-level,” he said.
