The dumping of garbage in a burial ground-cum-cremation
shed has been causing untold problems to residents, especially senior
citizens and several hundred students of the Government Higher Secondary
School in Kovilambakkam.
About 7 tonnes of
garbage is, on an average, generated daily in Kovilambakkam Village
Panchayat. All of it is dumped at the burial ground-cum-cremation shed
next to the office of the panchayat. A couple of years ago, the elected
council mooted a proposal to dump the garbage at an isolated spot in the
far end of the panchayat and even initiated the process there.
However,
this was soon stopped. Elected representatives of St. Thomas Mount
Panchayat Union (comprising Medavakkam and Nanmangalam) told The Hindu
that the proposal was put on hold as land sharks had managed to
encroach a portion of the land which was allocated for the dumping
Thus, the dumping of garbage at the burial ground was resumed
Residents
of Kovilambakkam have been enduring a great deal of hardship due to
dumping of garbage in the burial ground. “We have to walk through piles
of garbage on both the link roads connecting our locality with the main
road. The smell is revolting. We cannot even bury the dead or cremate
them peacefully” said K. Ganesan, a resident, summing up the problem.
Among the worst affected are students who pass through the stretch to reach the Government Higher Secondary School.
The smoke from the garbage also results in soot settling down in households and added to this is the menace of houseflies.
Kovilambakkam,
like most village panchayats of the Panchayat Union, lacks an effective
garbage collection, handling and disposal system, say sources.
Source
segregation and composting organic waste for creating manure is unknown
in these village panchayats, with the exception of probably Mudichur,
said an elected representative of the Panchayat Union.
Source: thehindu.com
