The work to extend the existing dumping area of the Kodungaiyur dumpyard to a 25-acre stretch will begin on Tuesday. Chennai Corporation will begin the construction of temporary roads so that garbage can be dumped in the interior of the dumping yard. The new dumping area will be at least 1.5 km away from the major residential localities of Kodungaiyur. This was announced by Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy on Monday.
The step is part of measures to cope with pollution caused by burning of garbage and comes even as the civic body and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel worked to put out the fire and control smoke on Monday.
“Three fire tenders have been deployed. But there is smoke everywhere. Five of the 16 residents in our building have fever because of the smoke and pollution. Many of us suffer from a burning sensation in the throat because of smoke,” said Ganesan Perumal, a resident of a house that is 120 feet away from the dump yard. Many residents have temporarily shifted to relatives’ houses in other parts of the city, he added.
Many of the residents in the vicinity had staged a road-roko a few days ago, unable to cope with the pollution.
Currently, 100 acres of the 269-acre plot in Kodungaiyur is used to dump garbage. Access to the central part of the dumpyard will be easier after the construction of new roads. Corporation officials said the additional area of 25 acre may also be expanded to cover a larger area.
As of now, most of the waste is being dumped near the entrance of the Kodungaiyur dump yard on account of the lack of approach roads. The condition is similar in Perungudi, where residents have been reporting unbearable stench in the past five days. “The corporation has already started some levelling work in Perungudi dump yard. We are unable to eat or sleep because of the stench after commencement of work,” said K. Periasamy, a resident of the locality.
