Alappuzha, Kerala’s is among 5 cities Recognized by (UNEP)

Alappuzha, Kerala’s picturesque town famous for its canals, is among the five cities recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as global success stories in solving the problem of solid waste. 

 The UNEP’s report titled ‘Solid approach to waste: how 5 cities are beating pollution,’ notes that many urban centres have not risen to the challenge, but the Kerala town and the four other cities have adopted ‘a solid approach to waste.’ Osaka ( Japan), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Penang (Malaysia) and Cajicá (Colombia) are the other winners. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the report says, chose World Environment Day 2017 to launch a drive to address the mountains of trash piling up on the streets and in landlls across India. 

“To implement it, cities across the world’s second most­populous nation could do worse than follow the example of progressive municipalities like Alappuzha,” the UNEP said. Segregate, prosper Alappuzha addressed the problem by introducing a decentralised waste management system, the agency said.

 “A few years ago, roadsides and canals lled with stinking garbage were threatening coastal Alappuzha’s status as a tourist destination as well as exposing residents and visitors alike to clouds of ies and disease­spreading mosquitoes. 

Protests by local residents led to the closure of the city’s main from December 4 to 6. “Five of the 50 anti­pollution actions listed in a UN Environment report relate directly to solid waste. One emphasises that carefully crafted policies and regulation at the national level are vital to moving economies onto a more sustainable track. But it is usually up to cities and towns to implement them on the ground,” UNEP says. 

 Alappuzha is among a handful of municipalities that received the Clean City Award from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2016. landll site in 2014. Since then, the city, often referred to as ‘the Venice of the East’ for its backwaters and coastal lagoons where tourists rent houseboats, had introduced a decentralised waste management system. 

Under this, biodegradable waste was segregated at the ward level, and treated in small composting plants. “This provides many of its 1,74,000 residents with biogas for cooking,” the UN report said. Pollution is the theme of the 2017 UN Environment Assembly, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya