Kerala has had a history of waste management problems that continues to be a menace even today. It’s about time we accept that we don’t really know how to efficiently manage our waste. This year itself, around 264 grama panchayats in Kerala received a ‘very poor’ rating for their waste management efforts. What do we do about Kerala’s waste problem, then?
Apparently, a mobile app might just be a step towards solving this issue.
The Kerala Government will soon launch an app dedicated to making inorganic waste collection more efficient. The mobile application will track the waste collection in local self-governing bodies.
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Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited’s (KSEDC) will be developing the app. The Government plans to launch this app in all of the six municipal corporations, 70 municipalities and 300 grama panchayats in the first phase. The pilot phase, however, will be tested in a couple of local bodies to understand the effectiveness of the app. Kudumashree’s Haritha Karma Sena will be provided with smartphones to manage the collection of wastes efficiently.
The waste management app will help users understand how to manage non-biodegradable waste. It can also be used to collect data regarding waste collection from every household. The use of QR codes specific to each household can help identify the amount of waste collected.
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If done right, the technological route to solve Kerala’s waste problem might lessen the burden on the environment. The application, as such, is great to understand how households treat their waste and its management by the authorities involved in collecting it. That said, a mobile application requires a smartphone. It wouldn’t be fair to say that all households have access to smartphones, let alone an internet connection. To an extent, this new initiative might work, but the Government should also solve the impending digital literacy problem in Kerala alongside.
