THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The dream is to turn the capital into a carbon-neutral city. And 'Kariyilapetti' is one way towards achieving this dream. The corporation on Friday set up the first Kariyilappeti in the city, a globular structure standing at a height of around four feet, which will be used as an intermediatory storage space to collect dry leaves.
The dry leaf waste which is collected by the corporation staff after cleaning the streets will be deposited in the Kariyilapettis. Once full, these dry leaves will then be transported to the various aerobic bins set up in the city where they will undergo bio composting along with other waste to form manure. With ariyilapettis, the civic body hopes to address the burning of dry leaves in the city and thereby cutcarbon emission.
Mayor V K Prasanth inaugurated the Kariyilapetti set up at Kowdiar and said the thrust was on reducing the carbon emission. "We have started setting up the Kariyilapettis as part of the no-burn campaign which was launched to mark the World Environment Day," said Mayor V K Prasanth.
The Mayor said provision to collect dry leaves from enterprises and residential areas will be undertaken. "The dry leaves which were once burnt will now get converted into manure. These Kariyilapettis will be kept across the city and will go a long way in curbing air pollution. Meanwhile, we are also giving classes to corporation workers on the detrimental effects of burning biomass," he said.
Further, to make the Kariyilapettis interesting, the locations where they are installed will be made into small recreational areas. In the first phase, the Kariyilapettis will be installed at three major locations in the city. Apart from the one at Kowdiar, other locations include the premises of the All Saints College and Museum. "Soon these Kariyilapettis will be installed at all the wards," the Mayor said.
The Kariyilapettis are slated to come in all sizes and shapes. The one near All Saints College might be capsule-shaped while the usual box-shaped ones will also be set up. "They have been designed so to garner attention and spread the message against burning. Only the corporation staff will have access to the Kariyilapettis, as provision to lock the same has been provided," said a corporation official.