Hubballi: Coconut trees, grown on private and govt lands in the city, are producing many fronds to dispose of. However, seeing them as a boon, SWM engineers are training two pourakarmikas to prepare brooms from coconut fronds. They plan to train self help group (SHG) members to make brooms and then buy them to distribute to all pourakarmikas of the twin cities. Additional fronds will be used to produce soil fertiliser.Santoshkumar Yarangali, executive engineer, solid waste management, HDMC, told TOI that the initiative was launched as per the direction of National Green Tribunal’s state committee chairman Justice Subhash Adi and HDMC commissioner Rudresh Ghali. “Our pourakarmikas Kalavati Kattimani and Vijayalaxmi Sakennavar are trained to make brooms using coconut fronds. We will arrange training sessions by pourakarmikas for SHG members registered under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission. We will buy brooms from SHG members to clean all wards in twin cities. With this initiative, we will reutilise waste coconut fronds and create a source of income for SHG members. In case of excessive fronds, we will use them to produce vermicompost,” he explained.Dr Sanjeev Kulkarni, a gynaecologist-turned-environmentalist, who has joined the initiative, said that he was approached by HDMC officials a week ago. “We have about 20 guntas of land in Malamaddi, Dharwad. A banana leaves vendor was throwing waste at the roadside for years. We told him to dump the leaves into our compound. Now we are utilising banana leaf waste in our farm. Seeing this initiative, HDMC officials approached us seeking help to make brooms from coconut fronds. We are providing space for the activity in our compound. If HDMC takes it to SHG nmembers, we will be the first ones to buy brooms,” he said.
