Malappuram: Large quantities of garbage from the chicken slaughter houses in the Malabar region have been posing a threat to public health. The Malappuram police have found that dumping of slaughter house waste has become rampant polluting drinking water sources and rivers. During the past week, the police seized six mini trucks with tonnes of garbage brought from Kasargod, Kannur and Kozhikode to be disposed of in various parts in Malappuram and Palakkad.
The police arrested two people on Tuesday. The investigation found that a network of contractors who take the waste from slaughter houses works like a mafia. Secluded highway sides and land areas have become dumping yards for them, said Richard Varghese, Sub Inspector, Malappuram. Around 50 such mini trucks are transporting the waste through the district a day. The garbage is usually being dumped in the early hours of the day. These may pose a threat to public health during the rainy season and the police have decided to beef up the night patrol to thwart their illegal transit, he added.
Some of the contractors are also the suppliers of the garbage to pork farms in Malappuram and Palakkad. But due to the oversupply, the farms have limited the intake. This has forced the contractors to dump the garbage on highway sides. Some land owners help them to dispose of the waste in their land for money. “This practice has contaminated the nearby drinking water sources in some areas and people have made complaints,” the police said.
