HYDERABAD: Unable to bear the foul
stench
emanating from the Jawaharnagar
dump yard
, people living in several localities adjoining the area reached out to authorities. This, as the pungent stench has forced people to stay indoors. A probe was later ordered by municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao.
A visit to the colonies located in six to seven kilometres radius of the dump yard revealed how difficult it has become for
residents
to go about their routine chores without covering themselves with a handkerchief. This, they say, is the only effective way to shield themselves from the brutal onslaught of stench and smoke.
“We brought some land here and constructed a house believing the promises made by successive state governments. However, no concrete measures have been taken in the last eight years. The stench only gets worse every year,” complained R Shanti Kumar, a resident of Dammaiguda, which is six kilometres away from the dump yard.
The foul smell starts to fill the air right from Alwal, Sainikpuri and Trimulgherry, as most garbage trucks pass through these areas to reach Jawaharnagar. Spread over 300 acres, the dump yard has been in active use for over a decade. Residents, however, lament that despite the capping and leachate treatment which was taken up recently, the stench accompanied by health issues have only compounded with every passing year.
Not just the air, but over the years, the dump yard has also contaminated the ground water in the surrounding areas, residents said. “There are days when we wake up at night almost choking because of the strong stench that fills the air. We have been living here for nearly 20 years but were never consulted when the dumping started. Initially, it was just the air which was polluted but now, it is also the water,” said M Subashini, a resident of Nagaram.
The issue has also gone viral on social media on Thursday when several residents and political functionaries asking authorities for their personal intervention in the matter. Many have sought for a permanent solution to the problem. Responding to the concerns, municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao directed MA&UD special chief secretary Arvind Kumar, GHMC mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi and commissioner Lokesh Kumar to visit
Jawaharnagar
and submit a report on the issue.
“We have spent Rs146 crore on capping the legacy dump and started 20MW waste to energy plant also. Also, sanctioned funds for leachate treatment. (sic),”
KTR tweeted on the issue. GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar was not available for a response on the issue. Calls and messages from TOI went unanswered.
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