THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala: In a rare show of solidarity, all parties in the coastal state, Kerala, have come together to make the state garbage-free by March 2025 under the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign. This show of unity comes after an unfortunate incident where a sanitation worker lost his life while cleaning a canal in the capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
In the all-party meeting chaired by the Chief Minster Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, the UDF assured its full support for the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign to resolve the garbage issue in Kerala. This campaign consists of reducing overall waste generation, effective waste segregation, source-level treatment of solid and liquid waste management, and scientific management of non-biodegradable waste.
The meeting was a precursor to the campaign, which will officially be launched on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti). The campaign will conclude on March 30, 2025, the day that is observed as International Zero Waste Day. The ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign will begin with the launch of various state, district, and local body-level management models. As per the government statement, on September 20, the location of these waste management models will be officially announced, and by September 30, the preparations for the inauguration of these models will be completed.
CM Vijayan said that, along with the campaign, local bodies, government offices, public sector undertakings, educational institutions, and campuses must adopt green practices. Apart from that, there will be concentrated efforts to improve public awareness, set up sewage treatment plans, and clean up water bodies and canal networks in the state.