Waste management a priority, says Maradu municipal chairperson

Maradu municipal chairperson Ajitha Nandakumar has said that addressing waste management challenges in the municipality will be her first priority.

“Waste management is a world crisis, and one of the pressing issues that we face is management of solid waste,” said Ms. Nandakumar. Noting that Maradu is a relatively small municipality that lacks sufficient space for setting up solid waste management facilities, Ms. Nandakumar said the civic body was looking at two potential solutions. “One option is using the Brahmapuram solid waste management plant, while the other is managing waste in a 50-cent plot that we have been promised,” said Ms. Nandakumar.

While plastic and other waste is managed well by the municipality, it is still facing issues with the management of solid waste. Over 50,000 people live in the municipality, but there is no exact estimate of the waste generated. “We need cooperation from the public for better waste management. Ideally, waste needs to be managed at source. If people manage their waste at source using biogas plants or using compost bins, waste management will be easier,” she said.

According to the chairperson, another pertinent issue faced by the municipality is the rising population of street dogs. “The thrust will be on setting up ABC centres and carrying out the sterilisation programme. We received a call the other day from a woman living in Kumbalam who offered her seven-cent plot to set up the facility. All options will be explored,” Ms. Nandakumar said.

In a bid to provide better sanitation facilities to commuters, the civic body is also planning to implement the municipality’s first ‘Take a Break’ project and set up three toilets. “We are also trying to reclassify the industrial areas into residential ones. Because the land is classified as an industrial area, any person building a house on their land can do so only across half of the total area and leave out the other half. But we are aware that this is not easy,” she added.

The Maradu municipality will have two chairpersons this time, with Ms. Nandakumar and Suneela Sibi taking turns, and each holding the post for two and a half years.