Cut off from the commotion of sorting and packing relief materials, a small group of individuals were engaged in getting the “dirty work” done at a stench-filled corner of SMV Government Model Higher Secondary School where a relief collection centre functioned until a few days ago.
The motley group of youngsters, ranging from Civil Services aspirants to techies and bank officials, had come together to form an ‘eco-brigade’, which was entrusted with handling the wastes generated at the relief collection centre.
A huge quantity of wastes, including plastic packages, were discarded while the goods were repackaged to be sent to relief camps. Besides, with close to 1,500 volunteers involved in various activities at the centre, a large quantity of food waste was also generated daily.
“While much of the focus was given to collecting and sorting relief materials, not many were aware of the quantity of garbage that had accumulated on the school premises within the first few days.
“With the school set to reopen, we were faced with an imminent outbreak of diseases,” says Revenue official Seena Bahuleyan, who, along with her colleague M.R. Dhanya, coordinated the waste management efforts at the collection centre.
Shobith Nambiar, one of the eco-brigade ‘leads’, who acted as contact persons, said the open space behind the school had turned into a ‘mini-Vilappilsala,’ referring to the waste treatment plant of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation that was shut down following public protests.
“There had been no effective measure to remove the garbage that was accumulating on the premises. The health wing of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation was initially reluctant in handling the unsegregated wastes.
“With the situation threatening to go out of control, the Mayor deployed some sanitation workers who managed to segregate the waste materials and dispose of the biodegradable wastes in pits that were dug up,” Shobith said.
The group managed to bring about considerable behavioural change among the volunteers by convincing many to ensure proper waste disposal. The Corporation had also supplied 135 steel plates.
Nevertheless, there were those who paid no heed to such pleas and littered in various parts of the school campus. Roping volunteers for the activity was another hard nut to crack for the eco-brigade.
“Not many wanted to get their hands dirty. While volunteers were regularly being allotted the duty, not many remained with us till the end of the day’s work,” said Jyotsna Chandrababu, another lead.
Suchitwa Mission
Suchitwa Mission also played a major role in removing waste materials from the collection centres. The efforts were coordinated by Suchitwa Mission district assistant coordinator Sheeba Pyarelal.