Indiscriminate burning of plastics and rubber has turned out to be a big menace for the residents at various places in the city.
There were a number of incidents, over the past week, of civic workers burning garbage, including plastic bottles, polythene papers, plastic bags, rubber footwear, and other non-bio degradable waste.
The flagrant violation was particularly rampant along the various streets of Cantonment area, including V.O.Chidambaram Pillai Street and the banks of the Uyyakondan canal. Instead of ensuring that waste reaches the dump yard, the workers find it convenient to burn the garbage on roadsides, filling the air with smoke and acrid smell.
The smog creates a tough environment for the morning walkers and residents, who gasp for breath due to the noxious air.
An eyewitness said that the workers may have burned the garbage due to their ignorance of the danger their actions posed to the environment and human beings.
It is said that the burning of waste on roadsides reached an all-time high during the last week, particularly from Monday to Wednesday (October 13 to 16) when the mass cleaning programme was carried out in different parts of the city as part of the initiative to prevent dengue during monsoon. Many of the residents complain that the burning of un-segregated garbage has been going on for a long time.
The absence of a proper segregation system, and the relative ease with which garbage could be burnt on the roadsides, push workers to indulge in this dangerous practices. Though the officials of the Tiruchirappalli City Corporation knew about the practice, not much has been done to prevent it. “It is a very dangerous practice that has to be curbed on a priority basis. Constant exposure to noxious air can cause breathing trouble and lung cancer. There is an urgent need for sensitising the dangers of burning of plastics to those involved in the garbage management,” says Dr.K.Balasubramanian, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Tiruchi.
High level of styrene vapour could damage the eyes and mucous membranes, Mr.Balasubramanian said. Long term exposure to styrene could affect the central nervous system, causing, headaches, fatigue, weakness, and depression.
