The Hindu 21.07.2009
Garbage piles up in Thrissur
Staff Reporter
| Lalur residents block dumping of waste in their area |
PHOTO: K. K. Najeeb 
IMPENDING DISASTER: Huge mounds of garbage remaining uncleared at the Sakthan Thamburan Market in Thrissur on Monday. —
Thrisur: Mounds of garbage piled up in every street corner have turned the city into a huge garbage dump leaving a stench at every place.
Residents of Lalur, the Corporation’s waste disposal site, blocked dumping of waste at the dumpyard demanding measures to pump out waste water from the trenching ground and nearby areas.
Waste water seeping from the flooded trenching ground had made life miserable for 40 families living in the area.
Their protest had a catastrophic effect on city life. Sanitation workers have not collected waste in the past six days in the Corporation area. Stray dogs and cattle feasting on heaps of garbage is a common sight even in posh localities. Scenes at Shakthan Thampuran Market are the same.
Opposition Leader in Thrissur Corporation I. P. Paul said the city was sitting on a time bomb.
“It is ticking fast. Outbreak of epidemics is feared. The public is already struggling to cope with diseases such as chikungunya, dengue and jaundice. Garbage piles are breeding grounds for disease-spreading vectors,” he said.
An all-party meeting convened on Monday to discuss the garbage disposal problem urged the Corporation to take swift action to solve the problems of Lalur residents.
“The problems faced by residents of Lalur should not be seen as a local issue. It should be addressed as a problem of the entire city. The Corporation should find a pragmatic solution,” the meeting said.
The meeting also suggested decentralisation of waste treatment. Instead of dumping the entire city waste at Lalur, arrangements should be made to treat it locally, the meeting noted.
Biogas plants should be erected at major market places and waste management systems should be made compulsory for flats and commercial establishments, the speakers demanded.
Deputy Mayor M. Vijayan said that steps had already been taken to pump out flood water from the trenching ground. Leaders of various political parties participated in the meeting.
Meanwhile, T. K. Vasu, chairman of the Lalur Malineekarana Virudha Samara Samithy said they would not give up their struggle until the Corporation found a lasting solution to the problem.
