Kuppai Tiruvizha

Chennai, the city we call our home, is one of the fastest growing and urbanizing metros in the country. Like other rapidly growing cities, Chennai is also confronted by the same conventional dilemma of having to balance economic development and environmental sustainability. At approximately 0.71 Kg, Chennai generates the highest per capita garbage in the country with severe environmental and health impacts and poor and exploitative working conditions for the waste workers.

In order to address these issues and provide a sustainable solution, the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules were laid down in 2016. These rules lay emphasis on two key elements – source separation and decentralization. Closer home, the Corporation of Chennai has also mandated door-to-door collection and segregation of household waste in October. Despite these best efforts, the city remains one of the few least compliant cities with SWM persisting as one of the most pressing issues facing the city.

With a grave environmental emergency at hand and the Corporation’s private contract ending early January, 2018,  an opportunity is knocking at our doorstep to rethink the waste management system and to move towards a more sustainable and holistic solution. Successful cases have shown that effective and honest public participation is key to achieving the goals laid out under the SWM Rules. An effective way to bring these issues to the fore is by creating inclusive, participatory spaces in different parts of the city.

Our response

‘Kuppai Matters’ is a collaborative platform created for the residents of Chennai to garner public opinion/ cooperation and to ensure that ‘no one is left behind’ in the process. Kuppai Matters proposes a ’Kuppai Thiruvizha’ across the city as a last-mile effort to gain a common understanding of the diversity of factors that affect waste management in Chennai and help the city become SWM Rules compliant.

Our event

After the first thiruvizha in November 2017 in Anna Nagar, we are now hosting the second one at Mylapore on the 25^th of February at Nageswara Rao Park, between 9 am and 5 pm. The event shall have stalls that promote eco-friendly alternatives to plastics, workshops and demonstration on home segregation and composting, up-cycling glass, plastics and paper, collection centre for neatly maintained old clothes, repair and spot fixing for damaged shoes, clothes and bags and a participatory action planning session for a sustainable waste management solution in the neighbourhoods of Alwarpet, Mylapore and Santhome. All are welcome, the entry is free.