Chennai: To highlight the importance of composting bio-degradable waste and also to make people realise the need to grow plants, the officials of the Ward 124 have started using the space opposite to their office in Kutchery Road for composting waste and also to grow organic vegetables.
Speaking about it, Junior Engineer, S Vivekanandan says, “With the Chennai Corporation stressing the need for people to start composting waste in their homes, we decided to use the space opposite to our office, which is beneath the MRTS track for composting by collecting kitchen waste from nearby localities, two months ago. Since we started the composting, we decided to use the space effectively as a garden.”
The garden currently has plants like Brinjal, Ladies Finger, Flat Beans, Chilli, varieties of Spinach apart from banana trees. There are also workers assigned to maintain the garden. Elaborating more on the composting process, the official says, “Door-to-door collection of waste happens in Ramakrishnapuram first to the sixth street, Ranganathapuram, Slaterpuram, Mundagakanniamman Koil Street, Sundara thottam and Shanmugam street. All the waste collected is dumped in a well ring where it decomposes.”
The officials of the Ward 124 also plans to use the manure generated in the garden. “We are planning to extend the garden in places wherever sunlight falls. We are also planning to sow different types of plants. The products that we get from this garden will be shared among the workers,” says Vivekanandan.
He, however, wants more people to grow trees and plants wherever space is available in their houses.
“The Department of Horticulture is offering plant saplings at free of cost, not many people know about it, In this age it is very important to grow trees and plants and by maintaining a vegetable or fruit garden we can also enjoy the benefits of eating fresh and natural food,” he concludes.