Page 19 - Newsletter

19

My teacher told me about a place where everyone contributed to the

cleanliness in the following ways:

It is about Madhavaram Milk colony, in Madhavaram, a suburb of Chennai,

where the residents contributed to the cleanliness in small ways, which makes
big, is briefed here.

Cleanliness of the area:

Milk Colony is a small residential area consisting predominantly of residential
apartments & individual houses with a population of few thousands. The area
is marked by numerous trees, which were planted by State Government to

prevent air pollution from the neighboring industries. The residents of the
area formed residential associations and maintain the area neat and clean.

The residents had a good sense of civic and cleanliness.

Solid waste management & cleanliness

Disposal of domestic waste is one of the most important areas of concern for
developing countries. No litter is thrown on the streets nor burnt in the open.
The residents of the locality segregate their household wastes into

biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes and dump in various dust bins
kept in the area. The dustbins are regularly emptied by the municipal

authorities and disposed of at various dumping yards. Thus the area is kept
neat and clean.

Although there were many open drains in the area, the corporation authorities
used to de-silt and spray insecticides to prevent breeding of mosquitoes and

flies. The residents also maintain the drains by way of de-silting and ensure
that the drains are not blocked by plastics. They also ensure that there is no
stagnation of rainwater water on the streets, lanes, buildings, etc., thus

preventing the breeding of mosquito and flies. Residents also planted various
shrubs or plants along the drains, which prevented water stagnation and also

increased the aesthetics of the area. The residential associations also used to
distribute pamphlets highlighting cleanliness and hygiene. No open defecation
is seen in this area as there are public toilets constructed by the Government

are available.