Daijiworld Media Network - Malappuram
Malappuram, Aug 27: Kerala’s Malappuram district is set to unveil what is billed as Asia’s largest waste-to-art pookalam (floral carpet), ahead of the Onam celebrations.
Industries and IT Minister P K Kunhalikutty will inaugurate the unique installation at Kottakkunnu on Friday evening.
The pookalam has been jointly created by the Malappuram District Suchitwa Mission and Eco World Waste Management LLP using recycled plastic waste collected from households across the district by Haritha Karma Sena members.
Spread across 1,560 square feet, the installation has been made using 20,736 plastic bottles, 13 kg of sacks, 485 CDs, 12 kg of aluminium foil, 138 food containers and 18 kg of plastic covers, officials said.
Nine artists worked for five days to complete the installation, which has been created around the theme of a ‘Green Onam’.
The pookalam combines Kerala’s traditional art and cultural heritage with a message on responsible waste management. It features motifs of Kathakali and a chundan vallam (snake boat), showcasing how discarded materials can be creatively transformed into meaningful works of art.
The project carries the message, ‘Our waste, our responsibility’, urging people to avoid littering, segregate waste at source and dispose of it only in designated bins.
The waste-to-art pookalam at Kottakkunnu will remain open to the public until August 31.