Hyderabad: Hyderabadis in the GHMC jurisdiction waste food worth approximately Rs 30 crore per month, by disposing food items in the garbage. This is directly responsible for the increase in stray dog population. The growth in the number of dogs in the twin cities is directly proportional to the food available on streets.
On an average, a stray dog lives on one meal a day which would cost between Rs 10-20, going by the 2011 survey. Six lakh plus dogs in the city, survive on wasted food, approximately worth Rs 30 crore every month, which means nearly Rs 30 crore worth of food is wasted by residents.
S. Bhushan, chemical technician and a researcher, said, “On an average, each citizen wastes almost Rs 1 worth of food every day and eateries generate food waste worth almost Rs 500 each day. This wasted food sustains so many stray dogs, monkeys and even rodents, also attracting fleas and mosquitoes which build a sort of eco-system for diseases. These street animals tend to become aggressive and rabid. Sterilising strays does not stop migration from suburbs and other areas, as long as garbage is generated. Garbage bins on the city roads are a major source of food for strays.”
On an average, each stray dog consumes discarded food worth Rs 500 every month. In a year, it consumes food worth Rs 6,000. The stray dog population in the city is about 6 lakh, and therefore, the consume food worth Rs 360 crore annually. This, in effect means Hyderabad wastes food worth Rs 360 crore annually. Going by the 1.2 crore human population of the city, it means that each person wastes food worth Rs 290-300 every year. The twin cities have around 20,000 and more eateries including the school and college canteens, street vendors and other pushcarts.
While 50 per cent of the food joints do not dispose of their waste as per the GHMC standards, many eateries dump waste in garbage bins on city roads, on which the strays feed. While experts state the civic corporation alone cannot handle the dog menace till the residents stop wasting food and dispose of them in a segregated manner.
“The dog population cannot be tackled by a centralised administration, due to impractical logistics. Garbage has to be efficiently treated at the locality levels involving citizenry. The technicalities have to be suitably worked out eliciting the co-operation of one and all,” added Mr Bhushan.
