Despite directives by the district administration and the Udhagamandalam Municipality (UMC), open, illegal dumping of waste continues unabated in areas bordering reserve forests in Udhagamandalam town.
Local residents from Fern Hill and Rose Mount in Udhagamandalam, state that residents, resort and guest house owners and caretakers are dumping waste directly into reserve forests and wildlife habitats near to their residences. “In the stretch between Havelock Road and the Kulisholai Reserve Forest, the owners of many bungalows are disposing of their waste directly into reserve forests. This has emboldened residents from surrounding areas, including Arul Nagar and Rose Mount too to dispose of their waste in reserve forests,” said S. Shanthi, an area resident.
G. Janardhanan, president of the Ooty Public Awareness Association said that open dumping of waste is more prevalent outside the main town. “In these areas, many of the properties are guest houses which are only used during the tourist season. The caretakers of these bungalows dump waste generated by visitors directly into forest areas,” said Mr. Janardhanan, adding that the local municipality was ineffective in dealing out fines and punishments to offenders.
The illegal dumping of waste poses a significant threat to local wildlife, said N. Sadiq Ali, founder of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT).
“In the last few days, there have been multiple reported incidents of sloth bear and Indian gaur entering town around midnight in search of food. These animals are being drawn into the town because of improper garbage disposal in areas separating human settlements and reserve forests. This could potentially lead to problematic human-animal interactions in the future,” he added.
Conservationists also highlighted recent incidents where Indian gaur were found dead with remnants of plastic and cloth waste in their stomachs, possibly ingested while foraging in garbage heaps. They said that open dumping could lead to more such instances, impacting not just gaur but also other wild animals living close to Udhagamandalam town.
