JOIN USZP issues 25 point guidelines on waste management
Under the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act 1994 section 64 to 110, all the Gram Panchayats have been given power to take measure on cleanliness in its jurisdiction. However, few gram panchayats were excelling in its plan and few were lagging behind. Hence, the Zilla Panchayat has issued guideliness to maintain sustainability in cleanliness.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr K N Vijayaprakash said for the first time, guidelines have been issued to all the Gram Panchayats in the districts on handling the wastes at the gram panchayat level. The Gram Panchayats should handle solid waste, liquid and hazardous waste if any and take out anti-plastic drive in its jurisdiction.
The guidelines says “all the gram panchayats should be free from open defecation by constructing the pending toilets in its jurisdiction. Even all the anganwadi centres, schools and public places should have toilets. Any building owner who rents out his building for commercial /housing purpose should be provided with toilet facilities. As many labourers come to the district for various work, every village should have public toilet facility with enough water supply. The door number should be issued to the newly constructed houses only if they have toilet. The nomadic tribes should be compulsorily made to use community toilets in every gram panchayat limits.”
The CEO said the guidelines also deals with creating awareness on the waste management among the mass. The awareness will be on segregation of waste from the source, vermi compost units and so on. Anganwadi centres and schools should have pit to dispose the degradable waste and to allow the flow of waste water from mid-day meals. The selected students should form ‘Hasiru Sene’ to create awareness on the environment among the villagers. Schools and anganwadi centres will be encouraged to set up bio gas plants to use the degradable waste for producing gas for cooking purpose.
The guidelines says “the waste water from hotels/restaurants/fish/meat markets should not be let into storm water drains or on the streets. It should be made to flow into a percolating pond. The Gram Panchayats should also ban the use of plastics below 40 micron in its limits. It should also take measures to ban the use of plastics within 100 metre radius of the religious institutions/temples. All the business establishments should have licenses and those who do not possess trade licenses, then legal action should be initiated against them. The Gram Panchayats should also support vermi compost units in buildings and houses. The Gram Panchayat should take measures to dispose e-waste through various organisations. The labourers who remove waste from the dustbins should be provided with necessary equipment. A compound wall should be constructed around waste disposal units. Waste should not fall on the streets while transporting it to the dumping yard. The dustbins should be cleared regularly, before it overflows.”
Based on the guidelines, the Gram panchayats should frame a policy and ratify in its general body meeting and submit the same to the Zilla Panchayat. It is an attempt to create a clean, green and progressive Dakshina Kannada district, said the CEO.
‘Sewage treatment plant at Ujire, Kadaba’
The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has plans to take up sewage water treatment plant at Ujire and Kadaba.
ZP CEO Dr K N Vijayaprakash said that sewage would be treated before discharge. The Malnad Development Board had agreed to fund Rs 94 lakh, including Rs 70 lakh for the Ujire project. Normally, the waste water is drained out into the drains, which goes to the streets. Here the water will be recycled before discharging it.