THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even while the state government is keen on setting up centralized waste-to-energy plants in the state, the budget presented by finance minister Thomas Isaac plans to achieve total sanitation status in 2021-22 fiscal through decentralized source-level waste management.
The state budget for 2020-21 fiscal had proposed to help 500 panchayats and 50 towns in the state attain ‘complete cleanliness’. Isaac gave a status on the target and said that 501 panchayats and 55 municipalities have achieved hygiene standards in solid-waste management.
He said that all local governments will attain the status in 2021-22. He has proposed an entrepreneurial model based on Vadakara-Kunnamkulam-Taliparamba model to collect, segregate waste and market it.
The budget also proposes to engage private entrepreneurs to make Kerala a slaughter wastefree state. He also plans to market organic manure generated through decentralized waste management under Harithamithram brand. The budget earmarks an amount of Rs 15 crore to Haritha Mission and Rs 57 crore for Suchitwa Keralam Mission. State will also receive Rs 87 crore from the Centre as part of Swachh Bharat Mission. As many as 1,235 toilet blocks will either be reconstructed or renovated.
The budget plans to mobilize World Bank aid to create regional land fill facilities and bio-medical waste management facilities for hospitals. The budget also lays down objectives for Haritha Keralam Mission, which include cleaning of 10,000km of drains and 100km of rivers and conservation using geotextile. The area of green islets will be expanded from 529 acres to 1,000 acres and 1,000 Haritha Samrithi wards will be created.