Making smart and right choices is what makes an administration efficient and an example of this can be found in the way garbage is being disposed of and managed by a village in Karnataka called Alankaru.
The tiny village located in Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district of the State has shown the way to handle micro-level sorting and management of garbage disposal, making it not just an efficient way but also a successful project. Faced with the issue of waste management, the gram panchayat began earnestly by creating awareness among the inhabitants regarding waste segregation.
This made people separate waste before it was collected by the garbage van visiting each and every house for this purpose. Yet, the larger issue of disposal of this waste remained and where to dump it?
In the past, waste was dumped by people anywhere they could – on sides of the streets and roads, empty plots and land, etc. While waste pick-up from the residence came into place, this came to an end in Alankaru but the gram panchayat was saddled with all the waste and it was not keen to create a new landfill for this.
Two years ago, the gram panchayat hit upon a smart way to dispose of the waste and obtaining all the funds it possibly could from the Government, it set up a waste management plant on a two-acre plot. Also 250 coconut saplings were planted on this plot.
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A large part of the village’s wet waste is dumped around the coconut trees thereby providing them with manure while the leftover is used in the vermicomposting plant installed there.
Talking to the media about this project, Jagannath Shetty, the Panchayat Development Officer said: “The wet waste has been put to real good use here. The earlier administration began the project and we have continued it. The saplings have grown really well and in about two years they will start bearing fruits, adding to the revenue of the Gram Panchayat.”
Sharing details on the waste management initiative, the former president of Alankaru Gram Panchayat Keshava Gowda said: “We also have a borewell in the plot and it is used to water the coconut saplings. There is also a rain water harvest set up and we have set an example for the villagers to visit and learn about it. We also plan to plant jasmine in between as a mixed crop so that more wet waste can be used effectively.”
While keeping the village spic and span, the waste is well utilised for the benefit of the environment and society.
