Arasikere: Commissioner for the Arasikere municipality, H.T. Krishnamurthy, has come up with an innovative way to dispose of garbage and also ensure that profit comes out of the initiative.
And how is that?
He has ensured that waste from the vegetable and fruit market is separated at source, duly cleaned and then funneled to a nearby goshala, where cows can feed on them.
The goshala where this initiative is being implemented is the Kasturba goshala near the city.
The cows seem thrilled with the feed, while this experiment has now been conducted over the last one- and-a-half years, proving its sustainability quotient as well.
As a result, there has been an improvement in the garbage disposal methods in the city.
Earlier, owing to poor disposal, pollution would soar as waste would rot in a corner and putrefy. Now, dung is also being converted into manure in a single day and this manure is being administered to the vegetable and flower plants growing in the ashram-cum-goshala.
Also, during festivals, many types of waste such as banana and brown mango greens are collected in large quantities and fed to the cows.
In the beginning, the goshala had denied requests to give the food to the cows, owing to concerns over quality, but after due assurances, the administration agreed, and our staff are more closely monitoring and supplying the best vegetables and fruits, Mr. Krishnamurthy said.
He also said that the market traders of the city had joined hands in this initiative and were collecting the waste and segregating them at source.
“If the citizens of the town separate garbage generated in their homes into green and dry at source itself, it will help make Arasikere a clean city. In this regard, all the people of the city are requested to come together and cooperate,” he added.
“Personally, I am very happy that the cows are being given good food. Our CMC president, M. Sami Ullar, is extending a cooperative hand and all our staff are with us on this project. When we go to the goshala to give food, we see the cows beaming with joy in expectancy the moment they see our vehicle. When they finally partake of our offering, we feel really fulfilled,” Mr. Krishnamurthy said.
“It is also true that such experiments make us think innovatively, as cleanliness turns out to be the biggest challenge as cities and towns expand. Currently, farmers are showing interest in organic methods, and therefore, such experiments need to be undertaken more often,” he added.
