Health Minister’s plan for waste treatment plant in capital signals shift from decentralised practices

Signalling a shift away from the decentralised waste management practices of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, Health Minister K.Muraleedharan is now batting for a waste management plant in Thiruvananthapuram city.

Speaking at an event in the capital on Sunday, Mr.Muraleedharan said that waste treatment plants will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram with the cooperation of the Union and State governments as well as the Corporation. He said that he wanted to make amends for not having done sufficient work regarding waste management during his previous term as the MLA of Vattiyurkavu constituency. Though the Minister did not go into the finer details of the nature of the plant being planned, it marks a significant shift from the decentralised waste management methods being followed in the city for over a decade now. A centralised waste treatment facility at Vilappilsala in the outskirts of the city was closed down in 2011 following sustained protests by the local population. The closure of the plant, made the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation rethink its waste management practices, which led to the slow shift towards decentralised waste management. After its earlier plan for pipe composting at home failed to find success, the Corporation began pushing for kitchen bins a few years ago. With the Haritha Karma Sena becoming active, doorstep collection of non biodegradable waste became more effective. The Corporation has in recent years carried out biomining in legacy dump yards and recovered usable land in major areas. Food waste is being collected by various agencies from the city’s restaurants and transported to the pig farms in the adjacent panchayats. The LDF government had towards the end of its term began setting up compressed biogas (CBG) plants to handle biodegradable waste in various parts of the State, one of which is set to come up in the capital. It remains to be seen whether the new government will go for a total revamp in waste management practices or build on the advances made in the past years.