Municipal solid waste continues to pollute River Cauvery

Wednesday, 03 January 2018 07:57
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The Hindu        03.01.2018  

Municipal solid waste continues to pollute River Cauvery

Municipal solid waste dumped along the River Cauvery at Vairapalayam in Erode on Monday.M. GOVARTHANM_GOVARTHAN  

Dumped waste will be processed and converted into fertilizer: Corporation

With the Corporation continuing to dump the municipal solid waste at its yard in Vairapalayam which is located along the River Cauvery, leachates draining from the waste pollute the river as residents wanted processing plants to be established at the earliest.

Waste collected from all the 60 wards in the city is dumped in Vairapalayam and at Vendipalayam. Over two lakh tonnes of waste was dumped in the 20-acre yard at Vairapalayam that is located along the river. The yard is used for over 20 years and the mounting garbage had risen to a height of over 16 feet.

Setting off fire to the garbage by miscreants had irked the residents who complain of pollution. People resorted to road blockage and prevented entry of vehicles that carry garbage to the yard. After talks, residents allowed the dumping of garbage collected from a few wards.

Leachates from the waste directly enter the river that is already polluted due to mixing of untreated industrial waste and flow of drainage. Despite many organisations that fight for environmental protection raise concern, the dumping continues.

Members of Neerodai had earlier urged the district administration and the corporation to stop dumping the waste and also wanted it to be removed from the area. They said that leachates which are hazardous to public health enter the water and contaminate it further.

Corporation officials said that work is on to establish a processing plant to treat the municipal solid waste. They added that waste collected from the residents and commercial establishments will be processed and converted into fertilizer.