It's Raining Fever in Kerala - Blame it on Open Dumps

Some time last year I blogged about the disruption of municipal solid waste management services across the length and breadth of Kerala. Municipal workers and the urban local bodies have been derelict in discharging one of the most essential public services of removing and safely disposing of the garbage from their cities and towns (the state is a urban continuum!). Apparently they can not find suitable sites for developing sanitary landfills while several of their treatment plants have not delivered and have not lived to the expectations (no generation of wealth from waste). Now after long enough gestation, the pathogens and viruses are making their presence felt. The following link in today's Indian Express (June 12, 2013) presents some scary data on  public health crisis - over last 6 months 1 million people from the 'God's Own Country' have been affected by a range of communicable diseases, among others, viral fever, malaria, dengue, cholera, etc. Daily turnout at hospitals across the tiny state is reported in the range of 10,000 to 14,000. Report says that during this period 140 persons have died of fever and 11 due to dengue. The situation has worsened after the Monsoons set in, creating favourable conditions for breeding of disease vectors on the growing mountains of open dumps and garbage clogged drains all across the state - apparently 1.5 lakh cases reported in last 10 days.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-fever-hit-10-lakh-in-kerala-this-year-/1127822/

They say 'Health is Wealth'; but in the name of attempting generation of 'Wealth from Waste' and not doing safe disposal in landfills, the state is now witnessing 'Degeneration of Wealth'. Kerala is a paradox - the society has full literacy (educated?) and is rich but it is not taking due care of its natural heritage; it has low mortality but high morbidity; it aspires for high lifestyle but is also characterised by high lifestyle diseases.

If a society is rich and can afford to generate increasing quantities of garbage, then it should also be able to afford its safe treatment and disposal. Otherwise it will feel the pain of paying through increasing morbidity and even mortality. Perhaps objective appraisal and revision of MSW Rules, 2000 at a far off place in Delhi will help. But when - that is the question ?

Asit Nema

The Chennai Challenge - So much for aspiring to comply with the MSW Rules !

Have a look at the disaster in Chennai which shows the poor state of garbage disposal - a creation of the local Municipal Corporation: 

http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/photo-file-the-mired-marsh/article4791436.ece?ref=slideshow#im-image-0

These are scary pictures - a wetland getting choked by garbage dumps growing like cancer. And imagine adverse health impacts due to fumes, the pathogens, the viruses and the leachate going into the groundwater. And let's not even talk about the GHGs .....

Municipal bodies do not want to develop sanitary landfill sites, but will wait endlessly for millions of their residents to start one fine day 'segregation at source' (separating meat from the bone; or mango peel from its seed !!) and for a private operator to come with a Midas Touch to convert their garbage into gold ! Until then, it's a full blown disaster that goes on.....and several Earth Days and Environment Days will pass by... and millions will do a song and dance show and a run !! But these cosmetics will not help. It's about time the society realises the heavy costs that it is paying in terms of poor health and compels the authorities to take appropriate and robust measures.

Read the full article : http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/the-mired-marsh/article4791383.ece

It's the same story across the length and breadth of the country, be it a small or a large city. But we are not drawing lessons. Its time to chuck the old theory and perceptions into the bin !