The Gudalur Division of the Nilgiris Forest Department has called for shifting the dump yard from Deivamalai in Gudalur citing concerns that endangered animals, and even people, are at risk from the health hazards arising out of the waste being dumped there.
The District Forest Officer (Gudalur Division), P. K. Dileep, said that apart from food and animal waste, hazardous waste from hospitals are also being dumped at Deivamalai. “The yard is a few hundred meters away from the Naduvattam forest, the national highway and a perennial water source, which, if contaminated, could cause health problems for Gudalur residents as well,” he said.
Apart from elephants, conservationists and the forest department have evidence of even leopards, mongoose, wild boar and the rarely sighted Nilgiri marten also entering the yard and feasting on the waste.
The forest department also claims that the yard has been set up on lands designated to be under Section 17 of the Gudalur Janmam Abolition Act, whereby non-forest activities are illegal. However, the municipality disputes this claim.
S Jerome, the Commissioner (in-charge) and Special Officer, Gudalur Municipality, said that the land was a private patta which was leased to the municipality.
Conservationists and forest department officials also said that the yard was in a key elephant corridor, and that the only means to solve the problem is to shift it outside of Gudalur, to another township.
In April of 2016, the Gudalur ranger even registered a case against the municipality for clearing forests, but action was pending with the district committee, informed sources said.
Waste management plant
When asked, Mr. S Jerome said that plans were being made to construct a waste-management plant for ₹. 5.48 crore at an alternative location. He said that the municipality had no other option but to dump the waste at Deivamalai, as there were no other locations near Gudalur to dispose of waste.
