Even as residents living around Ramaiyanpatti are suffering a lot owing to a fire that broke out in the corporation garbage dumping yard on Saturday, the smoke billowing from the burning refuse has affected vehicular traffic on the Tirunelveli- Sankarankoil highway also to some extent.
As the corporation is dumping the garbage being generated in the city at Ramaiyanpatti garbage dumping yard for the past several years and the degradable refuse is neither converted into manure nor the waste is being used to generate electricity, managing the huge mounds of garbage has become a serious concern for the urban civic body. The problem worsens whenever fire breaks out in the yard.
Though fire fighting to douse the flames was started on Saturday itself, a strong westerly wind has made the exercise almost impossible for the fire fighters drawn from Palayamkottai, Pettai, Cheranmahadevi and other places.
Consequent to the fire accident, residents of this region, particularly children, aged and the sick, have been seriously affected.
The thick smoke billowing from the yard has made visibility poor for drivers of vehicles on the Sankarankoil highway. Vehicles move only at a snail's pace with the headlamps on even during daytime.
Along with the fire fighters of Fire and Rescue Services, the corporation has pressed into service a good number of water tankers and heavy equipment to make things easier. However, the strong gale has made things worse for the fire fighters and the residents living near this spot.
