Deccan Chronicle      24.09.2010

Sept. 23: Air pollution has for long had residents of Manali at their wits’ end and the problem shows no sign of letting up, with garbage still being burnt in the dump yard of Tiruvottiyur municipality.

After complaints from the residents, the municipality had directed its workers to stop the burning of garbage at the dump yard. But the direction appears to have remained only on paper. Several residents have reported that municipality workers persist with setting fire to the garbage since it is the easiest way to get rid of mounds of accumulating waste.

The residents have raised serious concerns over the dumping and burning of garbage near their homes being deleterious to their health and the environment in their localities. Nearly 100 tonnes of garbage generated in the municipality every day is dumped in the compost yard located on Thiruvottiyur Ponneri Panchetty (TPP) Road.

“Visibility actually drops to a bare minimum and the smoke makes our eyes burn. We cannot even breathe because it makes us suffocate,” said M. K. Elamvazhuthi, general secretary of Manali and Sekkadu Environment and Consumer Protection Welfare Association.

He said motorists, particularly motorcyclists, find it very difficult to drive in the stretch because they are blinded and choked by the smoke. “We have made numerous complaints to the municipality to stop the burning of garbage. But all our protests have fallen on deaf years,” he said.

When contacted, Thiruvottiyur municipal chairman R. Jayaraman said he would take immediate steps to prevent the burning of garbage. He said he would issue stern warnings to municipality staff not to set fire to waste collected in the area.