Puttur: Exhaustive Study on Efficient Garbage Disposal Brings Kudos to School Students
News by Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network—Bantwal (RD/CN)
Puttur, Nov 20: A study of solid waste disposal in the urban limits, by students of Sri Ramakrishna High School, has brought to light the realities in the town and suggestions for efficient waste disposal have also been made in it.
The team of school students included Gagan Sona, Srnivas Pai, N Prateek, Vidyasri, and K V Sampreeti B, assisted by science teacher Vasanti K, were involved in the study under the title ‘Inefficient Disposal of Garbage Leads to Environmental Pollution’. They undertook the study with due emphasis on human contribution to pollution, by organizing competitions in segregating waste, making creative posters, arts, short play, distribution of handbills, environmental awareness campaign, memorandums to people representatives and officers, interaction with scientists. All the findings are in a report.
Gagan Sona, Prateek, Sampreeti
Srinivas, Vidyasri
The town here has over 50,000 inhabitants and each citizen produces waste of about 200 grams which comes to 300 tonnes per month. Owing to inefficiency of the local administration and officers, as well as neglect by citizens; the garbage is posing health hazards and pollutes the environment.
KUDCEMP funds of Rs 1.80 crore allotted for the solid waste disposal was not efficiently utilized according to the study. Of this Rs 1.36 crore has been utilized on a landfill on a 3.5 acre plot on the outskirts of the city in Bannur. The municipality seems to be facing a paucity of funds to appoint civic workers to collect garbage, to segregate domestic and industrial waste, to provide garbage bins coloured green, blue, and white. The citizens responded unfavourably when civic authorities went on door-to door visits to collect Rs 20 from each household and Rs 50 from each shopkeeper. The municipal officials attempt to escape from their responsibility, has been highlighted in the report.
Garbage bins in the town limits are always overflowing. Though the civic authority claims that garbage is collected daily, in reality it is just once in two to three days. Sometimes, the garbage lays there for a week and gets scattered all over the place. Stray dogs are increasing due to the easy availability of food for scavenging in garbage bins.
The town has 12 hospitals and hundreds of clinics that put out medical waste in large quantities. These are not being disposed off appropriately and waste dumped in drains and gutters are posing health hazards to citizens, as per the study.
The study group contacted thousands of people directly or indirectly on solid waste disposal and obtained vital information. The students were stunned by the replies of a few department officers, which indicated they were dumping household waste in open drains. The group also managed to create awareness on scientific disposal of garbage as bio ethanol and other energy sources could be developed using the garbage.
The study group visited various department offices, hospitals, and households including scrap dealers to assist in their findings. They recorded scrap dealers as saying ‘We do our mite to conserve the eco-environment. If at all you present any award in this regard, give it to us’. The scrap dealers recycle solid waste and hence their claim is right.
The study group has suggested remedial measures based on its findings recorded in an over-100 page report compiled over four months. They suggested making optimum use of KUDCEMP financial assistance—to clear drains beside the roads, to place garbage bins painted black in each hospital, and getting the health department to take the responsibility of disposing off medical waste. The areas in front of each shop should be cleaned by the shopkeeper.
Government orders should be strictly enforced by the municipal body and legal action taken against officers and civic staff for failure in discharging responsibilities. The study also suggests exploring the scope for producing bio ethanol, bio diesel and other energy sources from garbage. Moreover, it lays emphasis on making compost, bio gas, and natural manure out of degenerating waste.
Yet another suggestion is to put in place an efficient garbage disposal plan in order to general electricity from waste and to use the residue as manure. The local administration and government should take a keen interest in the matter and the public should not contribute to plastic litter indiscriminately, said the study.
The same study report has been selected at the district-level to be presented at the state- level science convention to be held this week at Shimoga. The student group, headmaster H Sridar Rai, teachers, and parents of students, must be appreciated for inspiring the team to take up this study.