What’s this stench in God’s Own Country?

 In the capital city of the most literate state in India, a ride to or from the airport is enough to throw all ideas of literacy and education out the window. Literate people do not dump waste on the roadside or onto any available empty plot or open land that appears to be unoccupied, do they? But then, what choice do they have? I am talking about the residents of the capital of Kerala.

Every time I return from Trivandrum, after visiting my parents, my heart cries. While the administration was quick to revert to the city’s original name, Thiruvananthapuram, nothing is being done to restore its former cleanliness and green cover. 

My own educated cousins have identified an unused well in their Uncle’s property, where they dump the dry waste from their homes, including broken slippers, toys and other items. Thankfully, there is provision for people to get rid of their plastic waste, such as milk packets. But it isn’t as easy as it seems. These packets have to be washed and accumulated over a period of a week and then handed over to a person designated to collect the same. That isn’t all; one has to pay Rs 50 per month for this collection. Well, as if the effort of responsible disposal wasn’t enough, one has to burn a hole in one’s own’s pocket in doing so, albeit a small one. Not a heavy price to pay to keep the surroundings clean I would say. Fortunately, most people in the neighbourhood are willingly parting with Rs 50 a month and doing their bit for ‘Swacchh Bharat’. However, that is a very small step.

Restaurants and food outlets are said to be dumping their food waste into the nearest pond or canal for lack of a proper waste-disposal system.  There are stray dogs everywhere. People try to carry a stick in their hand if they are on foot. Even a short trip to the nearest shop or market is full of danger because fierce dogs are lurking everywhere. There is no dearth of WhatsApp videos from Kerala showing children being mauled by strays. There are also videos offering tips to defend oneself if attacked by dogs on the street. The truth is that all these tips will not be needed if the waste dumps that attract these dogs are done away with.

I dread the day when the state will have the highest number of mansions. Yes, mansions I say because people here are not satisfied with small and easily manageable houses. They will beg, borrow or steal to build a house of their dreams with big rooms and a huge kitchen. Even if it means reclaiming their paddy fields in order to create space for them. Nobody stops to think about all the garbage that is generated in these houses. Where will it go if not onto the nearest growing pile of waste?

If those in power can ensure rules requiring people to adhere to the 7 ‘R’s—refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, repurpose, recycle and recover, the beautiful landscape can be restored to its former glory. It shouldn't be difficult to put in place an efficient waste collection system. Once that is done, those breaking rules can be caught and penalised. How difficult can it be to install CCTVs and impose fines on those who dump waste where it shouldn’t be? Can’t incinerators be set up to destroy a significant portion of highly contaminated wastes and reduce the growing piles of garbage in landfills?  It is time for the residents of God’s Own Country to prevent it from becoming Dog’s Own Country.