The tract of land called Erumakuzhy beside the Attakulangara bypass road looks beyond saving. Since the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant was closed nearly three years ago, this has been the city’s unofficial dump. An effort to clean up this area will be launched on the Kerala Piravi day on November 1. Transforming Erumakuzhy is a main component of the city Corporation’s My City, Beautiful City campaign.
As the first phase of this project, the garbage piled up here will be flattened and covered with soil. This will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar will inaugurate the programme and Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhy Ali will deliver the ‘Suchitwa Sandesham’ at the function.
Maintaining this campaign as an all-party initiative, former Union Minister O. Rajagopal and T.M. Thomas Isaac, MLA, will be present. Shashi Tharoor, MP; and K. Muraleedharan, V. Sivankutty and Jameela Prakasam, MLAs; are also expected to take part.
Nature-friendly mannerAside from cosmetic changes of burying the garbage here, the Corporation has plans to scientifically cap the plot. COSTFORD has been entrusted with the responsibility of preparing a project for this. This will be carried out in such a manner that it will not affect the environment or the people living nearby. A panel comprising experts in the field, including R.V.G. Menon and Ajayakumar Varma, will be consulted before the implementation of the project.
Once the target of turning the region garbage-free is achieved, Erumakuzhy will be converted into a farmland where agricultural activities will be promoted, a press release from the Corporation says.
A wall for artIn the adjacent Chala market, the Corporation is in the process of setting up 20 aerobic composting units that will convert organic waste into manure. The units will be set up in a building next to the Corporation garage here. The units will be managed properly so as to avoid creating a malodorous environment.
The Corporation is going a step further to ‘clean up’ the area by employing a group of artists to do graffiti on the walls of this building.
