Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Untreated garbage piles up; pollutes groundwater

- PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Untreated waste dumped in Gobichettipalayam in Erode district.

ERODE: The gross failure of Gobichettipalayam Municipal administration in the implementation of a proper solid waste management system has led to the contamination of ground water in the areas close to the dump yard of the local body.

The town generates over 25 tonnes of garbage every day and it is dumped in the yard located in Naickankadu without proper treatment. The continuous dumping of the waste polluted the ground water in the area, posing serious threat to people's health.

Initially, a few wells got affected and people had reported the problem to authorities concerned. As the municipal administration did not pay any attention to it, the number of affected wells had gone up sharply in the recent past. “The water in our wells turned yellowish in colour and a foul smell is emanating from it. We have stopped using the ground water,” people in the area say.

People in a number of residential colonies including TRR Nagar, Muthu Nagar, Karatur and Paravathi Nagar, which are located near the yard, are forced to buy water for drinking and other purposes. “We spend more than Rs. 1,000 a month to buy water alone,” residents in Parvathi Nagar lament.

But people belonging to the poor families continue to use the contaminated water for cleaning utensils and various other purposes, risking their health. “We have no other go. The supply of drinking water by the municipality is inadequate. We fetch fetch potable water from long distance and we depend on the ground water for cleaning and other purposes,” residents say.

Though the municipal officials are aware of the graveness of the situation, no concrete efforts have been made so far to sort out the problem. “The solid waste management programme is yet to take off. If we ask, officials claim that they are waiting for the acquisition of additional land. We do not know when this wait will be over,” a senior citizens says.

Apart from water contamination, people also suffer due frequent burning of garbage. “Sanitary workers and rag pickers set afire to the garbage very often and thick smoke from the yard enters the colonies and making over lives miserable,” residents complain. The fly menace has also increased to alarming proportions.

Municipal Commissioner K. Kuppamuthu said that the municipality required additional land for setting up a new compost yard in order to implement the solid waste management programme. The land acquisition process was going on.

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