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Kerala government on Tuesday said World Bank is ready to provide assistance for its waste management projects.
The management of waste will be intensified with the participation of international experts, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a release. A drone survey in the landfills of the state will be conducted soon and an agreement to that effect has been reached with World Bank. World Bank officials met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and subsequently decided to collaborate on the waste management issues. Taking into consideration the gravity of the recent Brahmapuram fire issue, World Bank will offer expert assistance and loans. Garbage mounds in the Brahmapuram plant caught fire on March 2. The chief minister earlier said that no serious health issues were faced by residents due to the fire. "They also expressed willingness to use the money for Kerala Solid Waste Management, a World Bank project, in the state immediately," CMO said. The services of experts from the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) will also be solicited. The World Bank team will meet with the relevant ministers and secretary of the department and will chalk out the future programmes. Further, the World Bank team said they were ready to conduct fire audit at the landfills following the drone survey and take follow-up measures with the help of experts. The World Bank team suggested that it would be appropriate to start a separate Project Implementation Unit for this and the chief minister accepted it. On Wednesday, Kerala chief minister announced that a special three-tier committee, comprising scientific experts, will be set up to conduct a probe the waste dump yard fire. Speaking in the Assembly, CM Vijayan had said a Special Investigation Team of the state police will investigate the case registered related to the Brahmapuram fire. A vigilance inquiry will also be conducted into the cause of the fire and the proceedings of the plant right starting the time of its inception. (ANI)
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