Persistent waste problem at Fort Kochi beach may soon be a thing of the past
According to Priya Narayanan, manager, Urban Forestry, WRI, the challenge involves coming up with a solution to rid and prevent piling up of solid waste along a 200m stretch of the beach.
KOCHI: The persisting waste problem at the Fort Kochi beach might become a thing of the past if India’s first-ever Coastal Public Space Challenge churns out a fool-proof solution. The initiative is being undertaken by WRI India (an organisation which fosters equitable development), in collaboration with the Kochi Corporation, as part of WRI’s Cities4forests global initiative. But what is the Coastal Public Space Challenge? According to Aparna Vijayakumar, senior project associate, the Coastal Public Space Challenge seeks innovative technological solutions that will prevent the drifting of suspended solid waste and water hyacinth on to Mahatma Gandhi Beach in Fort Kochi.
“Fort Kochi has a perpetual problem with debris on the shore. The Vembanad Lake, which carries a significant load of suspended solid wastes including plastics, fishing nets, and thermocol besides invasive water hyacinths, empties into the Arabian Sea near Mahatma Gandhi beach in Fort Kochi in a curving pattern,” she said. Due to local water flow, wave and wind pattern, the above-mentioned suspended solid wastes drift back to these beaches, she added. “As a result, these beaches have become inaccessible and unusable for public due to solid waste pollution and safety hazards. Also giving rise to incidence of snake sightings along the beachfront,” Aparna said…