New options for processing degradable and plastic waste are being considered for Kochi.

The civic administrators of Kochi, who are touring Pune and Delhi for familiarising themselves with the innovative techniques of management of municipal solid waste, have extended invitations to two groups to demonstrate their methods in the city. A company operating a plant capable of producing fuel from plastic and another one which owns the technology for converting biodegradable waste into manure in 10 days have been invited to Kochi.

KOCHI: The ambitious ‘Matsya Samrudhi’ project, mooted in a bid to shore up fish production levels in the rural belts of the state, will be launched in June this year. The state government-sponsored project will jointly be implemented by the Fish Farmers Development Agency, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the Agency for the Development of Aquaculture Kerala (ADAK).

The `195-crore project targets to increase the production by one lakh tonnes within a period of three years. The project is expected to make the state coffer richer by `481.5 crore.

The Cabinet on Wednesday asked the Public Works Department (PWD) to prepare a detailed project report for disposing solid waste from Thrissur as part of construction of bunds for the Kole fields in the district.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told the media after the Cabinet meeting that this would be a solution to the issues over the waste treatment plant at Lalur near Thrissur. He hoped that social activist K. Venu, who was on a hunger strike over the issue, would end his strike in view of the Cabinet decision.

Allege open violation of rules on their participation in fetes

An increasing number of people being killed by elephants in the State indicates serious flaws in captive elephant management and maintenance, animal rights groups say.

KOCHI: The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has cleared the Kochi-Koottanad-Bangalore-Mangalore pipeline project. Though the MoEF has given the ‘go ahead’, the details are yet to be received, a top official with the Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) said.“The implementation of the project is a joint effort involving different departments. Clearance by the MoEF is a primary step towards the realisation of the project,” Vandana Chanana, general manager, (corporate communication), GAIL, told Express.

Minister for Co-operation C. N. Balakrishnan has said that decentralisation of waste management was the only lasting solution for the garbage menace faced by the city.

Addressing the annual convention of the District Residents' Apex Council, Thrissur, at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi hall here on Sunday, he said people should take responsibility for treating the waste they produced.

Undeterred by the criticism that the Athirappilly hydroelectric project may cause irrevocable environment damage, the Kerala State Electricity Board Undeterred by the criticism that the Athirappilly hydroelectric project may cause irrevocable environment damage, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) continues to bat for it.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), has recommended that the proposal should not be cleared citing its environmental impacts. The KSEB proposes a project with an installed capacity of 163 MW across the Chalakudy river.

Laying of pipelines for carrying regassified LNG (liquefied natural gas) from Puthuvype to Kochi and beyond is on schedule and no hitch is expected, according to GAIL (India) Limited officials here.

There have been some enquiries from the Forest Department about certain patches of land in Palakkad where the pipeline is to pass through. These are normal queries and are being replied to, a senior official of GAIL told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Study finds 75% of wells contaminated

A study of groundwater conducted across the district has found that 75 per cent of the water resources in 22 grama panchayats along the banks of the Kadalundipuzha and the Chaliyar are polluted.

KOCHI: The PWD will soon start the road work for Rs1,343 crore allotted by the Finance Department, said Public Works Minister V K Ebrahim Kunju.

After a review meeting of the top officials of PWD here on Tuesday, the minister said the Urban Development Project under the Road Fund Board would be extended to Kannur, Malappuram, Thrissur and Kottayam also.