The Hindu 16.07.2009
Water seeps from waste dump in Lalur
Staff Reporter
| Residents threaten to block vehicles on Thursday if no action is taken |
PHOTO: K.K. Najeeb 
HARMFUL: Waste dumped at Lalur on the outskirts of Thrissur. Water seeping from the waste is adding to the woes of local residents. —
Thrissur: Rain has brought a flood of woes to those who live in and around Lalur, the Corporation’s waste disposal site.
As heavy rain lashed the city in the past few days, water seeping from the waste started flowing from the trenching ground to nearby areas. The runoff seeped through every opening in the 4.53 hectare site. It ran into a house opposite the treatment plant, forcing the resident to leave for a safer place.
“Water seeping from the waste, which causes severe health problems, affects around 40 families in the locality,” said T. K. Vasu, chairman of the Lalur Malineekarana Virudha Samara Samithy.
The Samithy on Thursday threatened to block vehicles that brought waste to Lalur. “A vehicle was blocked. The rest did not arrive. Authorities have temporary filled rivulets of waste water from the trenching ground,” said Mr. Vasu.
An estimated 160 tonnes of waste is generated in the Corporation limits every day. It is dumped at Lalur. Kudumbashree workers dump an additional 25 tonnes there every day.
The Rs. 5-crore waste treatment plant, sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, has seen protests from a section of local people and environmentalists. The plant, local people alleged, posed a threat to environment and their health.
The Samithy is also against engineered landfill at Lalur. “The Corporation went ahead with the landfill ignoring warnings by the Kerala Pollution Board on November 20, 2008, against the landfill. Dust from the excavation and removal of accumulated waste is causing health problems to local residents,” Mr. Vasu added.
According to the Samithy, the Corporation should take steps to treat waste at various locations instead of dumping it entirely in Lalur.
