Residents want open dumping of waste at Marudhamalai foothills stopped

Open dumping of waste, allegedly by Somayampalayam panchayat, at Marudhamalai foothills in the district remains unattended to even after multiple petitions, says devotees

Open dumping of waste, allegedly by Somayampalayam panchayat, at Marudhamalai foothills in the district remains unattended to even after multiple petitions, claim the local residents.

The village panchayat with over 6,000 residents generates nearly four tonnes of waste a day and these are dumped on a six acre site about 10 feet away from the reserve forest area, say sources.

M. Manikandan (42), an inmate of a government shelter in the area, claimed that at least two to four trucks dump garbage every day on the site behind Bharathiyar University. “Either the local body workers set the waste ablaze or passers-by throw cigarette butts leading to a fire. Fire breaks out once in every three days. Two inmates in the shelter reported health issues due to the thick smoke,” he claimed.

R. Santhakumar, founder of Aaniver Organisation, said frequent fires add to the risk of a massive breakout similar to the one near the Madukkarai forest range.

According to Gnanasekar Thiagarajan, a resident at the foothills, elephants often consume food waste along with plastic at the site. “Food, medical and sanitary waste are highly hazardous. Recently, dung with plastics and diapers was spotted. Waste is also strewn along the roads,” he claimed.

K.P. Rangaraj, the panchayat president, claimed that a Micro Composting Centre (MCC) to process three tonnes a day started last year was under repair. “We petitioned the District Collector recently for an alternative area for dumping. The Corporation, whose limits end close to this panchayat, can also take up the waste processing work and the panchayat will bear the cost,” he said.

Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati said, “Land cannot be allocated for unscientific unloading of waste. The panchayat must take steps to begin MCC operations immediately.”