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.