Hyderabad: Untreated animal waste is piling up on the hillock at GHMC’s permanent dumping yard at Jawaharnagar, emanating a foul smell that is intolerable.
More dangerously, methane from the dumping yard is diffused into the atmosphere, leading to frequent flames and smoke. The situation is worse during the rainy and winter seasons due to moisture in the air.
Ramky has failed to set up proper apparatus to keep the dumping yard dry and the Pollution Control Board has had to step in and take action against the company and GHMC officials for endangering the lives of lakhs of people residing in the colonies in the vicinity.
Ramky has capped only around 30 per cent of the dumping yard and is yet to cover 70 per cent, which is said to be the key reason for this. Venkatesh, the project head at Jawaharnagar, blames the GHMC, which is involved in collecting the garbage.
“Though we (Ramky) are involved in the scientific disposal of the garbage, the collection is done by GHMC. The garbage is mixed up, including animal waste. Unless the garbage is segregated, it cannot be treated scientifically and the stench cannot be prevented.”
Asked about capping the garbage, he adds, “Yes, the odour to an extent can be reduced by capping the dump. We are working on it.”
For several years, the stink from the Jawaharnagar dumping yard had been restricted to only the colonies surrounding it, namely Jawaharnagar, Dammaiguda, Shantinagar, Sivajinagar and Ambedkarnagar.
However, now colonies like Saket, Arul Colony, Arun Nagar, Bank Colony, A.S. Raonagar Road, DLR Enclave, Madhavapuri, Bhaskarraonagar, Lake View Colony, Manik Sai, Kalyan Gardens and parts of Sainikpuri and Defence Colony are also effected.
The smell is particularly foul in the early mornings and evenings. People are suffering vomiting, nausea, headache and respiratory diseases, complaint residents.
N. Ravi Kiran, additional commissioner for health and sanitation, said, “Just two days ago the executive engineer and his team visited the site; there is no deliberate burning of garbage but auto ignition is common in any dumping yard.
The smell may be because of auto ignition. GHMC will instruct the executive engineer to visit the site again.”
