Hyderabad: A few areas in Hyderabad are affected by smog. To tackle the problem, the GHMC is trying to eliminate garbage at vulnerable points. Officials do not check the manner in which sanitation workers get rid of the waste. Instead of disposing garbage at the nearest dumping yards, they are burning it in these vulnerable points, leading to smog. The smog is inconveniencing morning walkers and those who go to work early. On Wednes-day, three complaints were made to the GHMC call centre about garbage being burnt at Kukat-pally, LB Nagar and Mettuguda. Two complaints on an average are reported daily.
Mr Nadeem Pasha, 68, of Akbarbagh, said, “The waste is not just dry leaves but thermocol, paper, plastic, rubber etc. that produces harmful pollutants. The thick smoke does not allow dust to settle down, leaving us choked. The situation is such that when we step out of our houses in the early hours, our clean clothes get visibly dirty.” Mr N. Dhananjay Kum-ar of Santoshnagar, Saidabad, said, "We are unable to bear the smoke generated from burning garbage, we have had to change the route of our morning walks often; garbage is burnt in heaps. Many of my fellow walkers have been complaining about runny nose, cough, conjunctivitis. Those suffering from respiratory problems are the worst affected.”
According to environmentalist W.B. Prasanna Kumar, the waste, when burnt, releases carbon monoxide. “Hyderabad’s second biggest issue in pollution is the emission of carbon monoxide, which is above permissible limits. The source of carbon monoxide is vehicles and burning of leaf litter. There is no separate disposal system for leaf litter. The waste, when burnt, releases carbon monoxide. Respirable suspended particulate matter (dust from the road) and carbon monoxide are above the norms, which are a matter of concern for us,” he said.
In 2015, GHMC had launched a grievance cell to take complaints against workers burning garbage. Like many other initiatives of the GHMC, this too does not seem to serve any purpose. "If you find any person or GHMC employee or sanitary workers burning garbage in the open, then contact the GHMC’s garbage burning complaint-grievance cell at 040-21111111 or contact the circle sanitary supervisor. In every ward the name and number of the sanitary supervisor is written on the noticeboard; citizens can get the contact numbers from the GHMC website too,” said additional commissioner, sanitation & health N. Ravi Kiran.
