Aafrin Kidwai 
The Kerala Pollution Control Board (PCB) has made public its disapproval of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) solid waste management efforts.
The PCB has issued a press release on its website highlighting the failure of the TMC to comply with the Government of India’s Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2016, specifically Rule 22.
The PCB says the TMC has repeatedly failed to meet the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) deadlines. The PCB has not found any waste processing site and sanitary landfill, as required under Rule 22 of SWM Rules 2016. Attaching pictures of garbage dumped on city roads, the PCB asserts there has been no progress in the implementation of door-to-door waste collection. Further, the PCB says that as per the civic body, half of the source-level waste treatment systems like pipe compost (43,500) are not functioning. The PCB also questioned the authority of the TMC to impose source-level waste treatment system in houses.
The PCB said that while Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Kannur are progressing with their scientific waste disposal projects, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur have not made significant progress.
The Kerala PCB said that it is taking action to ensure that waste is scientifically managed as the rules and orders of the NGT.
Picture Credit: Kerala Pollution Control Board
