THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ever since the online septage waste management system was introduced, the city corporation has collected one crore litre of septage in four months. The application - Smart Trivandrum app - allows the residents to book licensed vehicles for septage collection. The corporation had started it to prevent illegal disposal of liquid waste into water bodies. So far, the civic body has completed 1920 trips in four months.
While 45.6 percent of bookings for septage collection were made by individuals, 41 per cent of the were made by hotels and restaurants. Most number of orders were from Kazhakoottam which amounts to 263, closely followed by Attipra (190), Kulathoor (87), Vizhinjam (75), Sreekariyam (66)and Vazhottukonam (50).
As many as 15 vehicles approved by the city corporation are available for septage collection from 7 am to 7 pm every day. On an average, one vehicle completes five trips. A call centre functions in the corporation to manage the online orders.“On an average we get up to 25 calls everyday. There is a proper system in place for regulating and monitoring the orders. The collected septage is moved to the sewage treatment facility in Muttathara.
There are also instances when we were unable to complete the orders. But this happens only when the road is too narrow for our vehicle to enter. Otherwise, all orders are completed within 24 hours. We also have a strict fee policy in place. No additional payments or tips are allowed,” said a corporation official. The facility also allows online monitoring of the orders. All the collection vehicles are fitted with GPS and are monitored throughout the trip till the completion of the order.
“There is a lack of awareness now about such a facility available through the city corporation. However, the number of bookings are now picking up. We can handle more than 50 orders a day,” the official said.
Septage collection call centre: 9496434488.
Aerobic Bins
The city corporation will soon have more aerobic bins. As of now, there are aerobic bins at 47 locations. Soon, aerobic bins will be placed in 150 more locations across the city. Apart from aerobic bins, the number of portable aerobic bins will also go up. Two hundred new portable aerobic bins will be placed across the corporation limit. As of now, there are 150 portable aerobic bins.
Caught with septage
Earlier this week, a person was caught with a tanker carrying septage to dispose into a water body within the corporation limit. The tanker was stopped by a night squad of officials from the city corporation at Pettah. The offender was fined Rs 25,000. People can report any attempted illegal disposal of sewerage waste through Smart Trivandrum App.