Thick smoke emanating from the Chennai Corporation's Perungudi garbage dumping yard had engulfed many parts of Perungudi and Thoraipakkam on Monday morning.
“It looks like Bhogi day. The Thoraipakkam – Pallavaram Radial Road was covered in smoke early in the morning and it made driving difficult for us,” said V. Emil, a share autorickshaw driver.
Garbage in the yard has been burning for a couple of days now, and every time the westerly winds blow, smoke is blown towards residential areas in Thoraipakkam and Perungudi.
On Monday morning, around 25 residents of Perungudi, who live close to the dumping yard, had gathered near the gate to stage a protest against the burning. In just a few minutes, the residents felt their eyes burning and a few complained of headaches. The protest did not take place, as local police officials arrived asked the residents to meet Mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy to take action.
“The garbage here has been burning for over four months now, and flames keep rising up from the bottom. No amount of water is helping to put out the fire, as top layers become dry fast. We want water lorries to be deployed on a regular basis so that the garbage does not catch fire. There is a school right next to the dumping yard, just imagine the plight of the children,” said a resident.
