The last one week has been insufferable for the residents of Aditya Garden, Sainagar Rajeev Gruhakalpa and Bandari layout colonies in Nizampet Municipality of Hyderabad. The stench of burning waste and accompanying fumes emanating from a nearby garbage dumpyard has left them choking and persistent cough.
According to residents from Aditya gardens, the smoke from the burning waste is like winter fog coming out of the dump yard and surrounds the entire area. This has led to a lot of health issues. Vihari Raju, a resident from Aditya Gardens, took to Twitter seeking a solution to the problem.
@KTRTRS @KTRoffice
— Vihari-Raju Penmatsa (@VihariRaju) April 25, 2022
Hi Sir,
We need your intervention inthis regard. This is not cool winter morning, it's smoke from burning dump yard in Nizampet dumpyard near new Govt 2bhk flats. We are facing this issue quite frequently. From last two days we have this smoke round the clock! pic.twitter.com/oR55lLkP4x
Vihari said "Earlier, smoke used to cover the area twice in a month for one hour or so, but from the last five days the smoke has covered the residential areas like a winter fog. While children and elders are facing misery, everyone is facing problems like shortness of breath, cough and uneasiness. We have lodged an online complaint with the Nizampet municipal authorities but no action was taken. Only when the Ward Councillor is approached, he will bring the matter to the notice of officials."
According to locals, the dumping yard was set up in survey number 186 in Bachupally area at the time when Nizampet was still a Gram Panchayat. After it was made into Municipality, local officials promised the residents that the dump yard would be shifted elsewhere. That was two years ago and residents are still waiting for it to happen.
The Nizampet municipal dump yard receives around 120 tonnes of waste each day from as many as 96 residential areas in its limits. The area also hosts a number of educational institutions besides eateries and vegetable and meat markets.
Balaji P, another resident from the Aditya gardens said that the wastes dumped in the yard are also polluting the water body and thereby making it a breeding ground for mosquitoes. He said, "All the houses are being blocked with the smoke making it difficult to sleep in the early morning.
The municipal officials have received orders from the government to move the dumping yard, but they're neither shifting nor taking any measures to prevent such toxic smoke and smells."
Nizampet Municipal Corporation's Deputy Engineer Subhash said that the problem of smoke emerged as the water supply was stopped to the dump yard. He said "We are arranging water tanks to douse the fire and stop the smoke. The proposal to shift the dumpyard is also on the table.We have reached out to a company which is working with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to shift dump yards."
According to the officer, the procedure to shift the dump yard to a designated place is underway. The Nizampet Municipal Commissioner was unavailable for comment.