A Campaign That Makes Coonoor Proud
D.Radhakrishnan
An iconic slogan “Neighbour’s envy Owner’s Pride”, for a television brand, way back in the early 80s, comes to this Writer’s mind, while looking back at a unique campaign which, in just ten years of its existence, put the town of Coonoor, near Ooty, on the waste management map of the nation.
Set in motion, a decade ago, the campaign going by the name, “Clean Coonoor”, is all set to be celebrated on November 30th, 2024 with a feast for the ears followed by a feast for the stomach.
It all began post Diwali 2014 when a concerned citizen upset by the quantity of litter left behind by some irresponsible tourists, posted on social media that she was going to try and clean up the mess all by herself. She had added that those interested could join in. The response was quite overwhelming and thus was born the citizen’s campaign called, ‘Clean Coonoor,’ a volunteer-based body dedicated to keeping the township litter-free. The first two years were dedicated to cleaning up black spots where garbage was habitually dumped. The year 2016 saw a change in the group’s strategy, and it began targeting eco-sensitive areas such as forest fringes and water bodies. The years 2017 – 2019 in addition to the usual activities, witnessed preventive measures against littering during fairs and festivals, and during tourist influxes. The results of one such post-season cleanup along the Coonoor Ghat in 2019, where some 3 tonnes of plastics were found littered and removed, were taken cognizance of by the Madras High Court which promulgated a ban on the entry and sale of such items along the ghat.
The year 2019 was quite a significant one. It witnessed the organization become a registered trust. According to Ms.Samantha Iyanna, Trustee, Clean Coonoor, the same year also saw a major rethink in its strategy of combating waste. It was decided to join forces with the local body to safely dispose waste instead of just focusing on the collection part alone. Thus, was born the Waste Management Facility, as a two ton dry waste handling unit. It later grew to tackle the township’s entire waste load of 5 tons dry and 8 tons wet.
To a query Dr. P. J. Vasanthan, Trustee, Clean Coonoor said “We are now in the process of expanding our activities to other parts of the Nilgiris district, mainly because mismanaged waste is a disaster on all fronts and not confined to Coonoor alone”.
Referring to the impact of the campaign so far, he said that as of October 2024 about 12,299 metric tons of waste has been handled, 2,298 metric tons sent for recycling, 5,962 metric tons composted, 4,039 metric tons safely disposed by high-temperature closed burning, and about 4,210 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions saved.
Stating that Clean Coonoor believes in well-flushed culverts, for the reason that efficient storm water drainage is important not only for matters concerning health and hygiene but also for playing a vital role in preventing mishaps such as flooding and mud-slips, he said, “We have so far improved, twelve major culverts and three storm water drains.” All were completely clogged through years of neglect and needed urgent attention. The enterprise of unclogging them started around mid-October 2018 and lasted until mid-February of the next year. It was the experience garnered through this exercise, that prompted the campaign to take on the larger challenge of cleaning up the Coonoor river. A stretch of the river, extending over about a kilometer, flowing through the municipal market was de-silted. This was the beginning of a long-drawn campaign, which was completed in a phased manner, with the help of municipal and district officials.
The Organisation is presently working with the municipal authorities to find ways and means to prevent raw untreated sewage from being emptied into the river, and with the district administration to devise means to trap plastic debris that gets washed inside by the surface runoff. The organization has tied up with the olive greens to keep clean the portion of the river that flows through the Cantonment of Wellington. The exercise which aimed at a re-cleanup of the middle stream was funded by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., and operations began on 28 September. A further 500 meters of hitherto untouched ground were widened using funds provided by the Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH) the Nilgiris Chapter.
Pointing out that over the past ten years, the Campaign had made significant progress, while working with its partners, Dr. Vasanthan said that Ecological Restoration was also high on the list of its priorities.
Over the next ten years, “we hope to build upon the strong foundation we have laid, the momentum we have sparked and the progress we have achieved, by engaging new partners. The challenge that lies ahead is widening our activities more widely and identifying key areas where new efforts are needed. Environmental issues are a disaster on all fronts and not confined to Coonoor alone, he noted. The Nilgiris and the associated chain of mountains, the Western Ghats, are Biodiversity Hotspots. Environmental mismanagement here and elsewhere in this mountain chain is bound to have both short and long-term deleterious consequences on this fragile ecosystem. The health of the rivers which flow through the plains of Peninsular India, is entirely dependent on the health of this eco-sensitive mountain chain. Based on the success of the Waste Management-Coonoor Model, it has been decided to emulate it in other parts of the district. The expansion will be implemented in a phased manner taking into consideration all factors that are bound to come into play. This will entail much more political and administrative commitment, community mobilization, partnerships with like-minded organizations and the development of standardized but flexible operating procedures. If this can be successfully implemented, it can be assumed that the major portion of the waste generated within this eco-sensitive district will be scientifically and safely disposed of, he opined. “Our efforts in this sphere of ecological restoration have taught us the importance of community participation and community ownership, and this will be a lesson well learnt,” he added. Stating that the Clean Coonoor Campaign was much stronger today than it was 10 years ago, Ms. Iyanna observed,”we now have a solid foundation that allows us to quickly mobilize an effective response to a variety of challenges. We must make the best use of the infrastructure we have created and of the advancements we have achieved through our collaborative efforts to make a real difference in the ecological landscape of this district”, she concluded.
Indeed, a movement that can look back with a great deal of satisfaction and look ahead with considerable confidence.
