Women groups to dispose waste in 26 gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada

For effective disposal of garbage in gram panchayat jurisdiction, the authorities have started entrusting the responsibility to women groups.

Accordingly, agreements have been made with gram panchayat-level federation of women for waste management in 26 gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada district. The women have already undergone training in waste disposal, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Dr Kumar told DH. The work will be commissioned shortly.

The groups will be involved in solid waste management in panchayats. They will carry out house-to-house waste collection and take steps to dispose it as well, he said. In fact, the gram panchayats have also been permitted this year to use funds under the 15th Finance Commission to purchase vehicles for door-to-door waste collection at a cost of Rs 6 lakh.

Trained to manage

The women have to collect waste from shops, hotels and houses and later segregate the waste.

The income earned from manure prepared using wet waste and from selling dry waste will go to the Federation. The women will have to drive the vehicles and women are being trained to manage the entire process.

Through National Rural Livelihood Mission, the gram panchayat level-federation is constituted with women members. Along with the purchase of vehicles for waste collection, sheds are also constructed for waste processing. The initiative will help in improving the livelihood of women, said sources.

Of the 223 gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada, CEO Kumara said, 154 gram panchayats have earmarked land for solid waste treatment. Tahsilars have been directed to identify land for the waste management in the remaining 69 gram panchayats. The dry wastes are being collected in 71 gram panchayats in the district.

In fact, Balepuni Gram Panchayat started Bapu Solid Resource Management Centre (SRMC), on the model of Vandse Solid and Liquid Waste Resource Management (SLRM) unit, back in 2020.

The team of women, who have taken up the initiative of SRMC are engaged in segregating the dry waste collected. The collected dry wastes are further categorised into several varieties like straw, pens, plastic wrappers, bottles, hair and so on and are sold to earn income.

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