Thiruvananthapuram:In the wake of the air pollution crisis caused by the Brahmapuram landfill fire in Kochi recently, two state government entities on Thursday announced that they were partnering with a central institute for better waste management and pollution control in the state.
The Local Self Government Department (LSGD) and Pollution Control Board (PCB) said that the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) would be their partner in Research and Development. The announcement was made at the inaugural ceremony of a thematic session on clean-up technologies, titled 'Prithvi', held as part of the ongoing 'One Week One Lab (OWOL)' programme of CSIR-NIIST, an official release said.
The central institution, in the past, has not only contributed its inputs on addressing environmental pollution and waste management to the two government departments, it has also provided them with a string of technology services. Inaugurating the Prithvi session, M G Rajamanickam, Principal Director, LSGD, and Commissioner, Rural Development, of the Kerala Government, said the principal duty of research institutions like CSIR-NIIST was to provide scientific and technological support that advances society and especially benefits future generations and protect the environment.
"We require not only the development of technology, but technology that would sustain sustain society and pave the way for the future," Rajamanickam said. Noting that shortage of land posed a serious handicap in Kerala's waste management system, he said that a study had found that the state generates 15,000 tonnes of waste per day, amounting to five million tonnes annually.
"When the government's processing capacity is only 10 percent, where does the remaining garbage go?" he asked. Terming OWOL a good programme to bring awareness about new technology to the public, Rajamanickam said that LSGD's decision to deepen its collaboration with CSIR-NIIST would greatly improve pollution control activities.