HYDERABAD:
The City of Pearls recently received the Swachh Survekshan award for
being India’s best capital city for solid waste management, but the
reality is out for all to see. Hyderabad generates 4,500 metric tonnes
of garbage every day, and much of it is just lying around on the
streets, accumulating under flyovers and choking nalas.

Even as the award was welcomed with pride, city residents say heaps
of garbage are a common sight across the city, from Secunderabad to
Shamshabad, First Lancer area in Banjara Hills and Nanal Nagar in Mehdipatnam. Apart from the foul smell, residents are constantly plagued by pollution and the threat of infections.

Over time, garbage has also taken over
open spaces, with a playground in Trimulgherry turning into a dumpyard.
“Kids used to learn karate here. But now it’s filled with garbage,”
said Joseph Phillips, a resident of Secunderabad.

Litter dumps are a prominent sight in
First Lancer and residents rue that even though sanitation workers from
the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC)
clear garbage bins regularly, nothing is done about the waste that has
accumulated over time in street corners and open spaces. “Garbage lying
around dustbins is not just an eyesore, but also spreads infections,”
says Abdul Mukhtar, a tailor.