Source : The Hindu Date : 11.06.2009
Corporation to launch tree census, planting of herbarium
Staff Reporter
Certificates will be given to apartment owners who have set up garbage management systems.
KOCHI: Environment protection programmes of the Kochi Corporation, including a tree census and planting of herbarium will be launched on Thursday.
The corporation and the Rajagiri School of Social Sciences will sign a memorandum of understanding regarding the tree census. The project is to conduct the survey of trees located in government land including parks, pathways and riverbanks.
Fisheries Minister S. Sarma will inaugurate the programme, which is held as part of the environment week celebrations of the civic body, at Asir Bhavan at 10.30 a.m.
A project for supporting small hospitals and clinics in the city to process biomedical waste generated by them is on the anvil.
The corporation plans to launch an awareness programme for the management of the biomedical waste. A manual for the clinics for handling such refuse has also been prepared. The manual will be released at the function, said Mayor Mercy Williams.
The corporation plans to set up a treatment plant for biomedical waste at Brahmapuram where it has established the municipal solid waste treatment plant.
The plant will come up at the land adjacent to the Brahmapuram plant, which is to be purchased by the corporation soon, Ms. William said.
Most of the city hospitals are sending their biomedical waste to Palakkad for processing.
As the project is not a financially feasible proposal for the small clinics, a few of them dump the waste along with other refuse, causing serious health concerns. The vehicle purchased for the Health officials using the fund raised by way of fine for littering the streets and unauthorised dumping of waste will be handed over at the function.
Sahaja, an all-women action group and cleaning marshals, student volunteers, for supporting the corporation in garbage management issues, will be launched at the meeting.
Certificates for apartment owners who have set up their own garbage management systems will be distributed at the function, Ms. Williams said
