Amid growing concern over the location of municipal dump yard in the residential zone of Danvaigudem and the subsequent impact of pollutants emanating from it, the Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) has laid a renewed focus on the issue to find a lasting solution.
The residents of Danvaigudem, Ramannapeta and several other residential colonies located in the vicinity of the municipal dump yard spread around 40 acres, have long been demanding that the dump be shifted far away from their residential zone.
The aggrieved local residents have organised a series of protests over the last few years, concerned with the grave health hazards faced by them due to pollution from the dump-yard, which turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and pigs.
The vexed issue has sparked intense debate in the recently held general body meeting of the KMC, with the members of the Opposition parties including Congress and Left parties, demanding urgent redress.
The civic authorities have initiated some short-term pollution control measures by installing four CCTV cameras at vantage points on the premises of the dump yard, to check burning of garbage by rag pickers and bring them to book.
The civic body has reportedly formulated a comprehensive solid waste management plan envisaging shifting of the dump yard to a 10-acre site, located in a non-residential zone at Mallemadugu in Raghunadhapalem mandal. It also encompasses a proposal to generate electricity from municipal solid waste based on “waste-to-energy” model, sources said.
A delegation comprising Khammam Mayor Dr. G. Papa Lal, MLC P. Sudhakar Reddy, and Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Kumar Jha visited the proposed site at Mallemadugu on Monday.
The 10-acre government land at Mallemadugu appears suitable for relocating the dump yard from Danvaigudem to the non-residential area, said MLC Mr Sudhakar Reddy, who is the deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party. The dump yard at Danvaigudem has become a major public health concern causing air, soil and ground water pollution besides exposing people of its neighbouring colonies to the daily ordeal of unbearable stench and potential health hazards, he told The Hindu .
