Underscoring the need for safe and effective disposal of garbage generated in the city, Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday instructed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Somesh Kumar to develop more dumping yards around the city. At a meeting today, Mr. Rao suggested such facilities at ten to 15 different places and asked the officials to plan on a long-term basis on the issue. He also instructed the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) officials to get Gandipet and Himayathsagar tanks repaired and cleansed to ensure safe drinking water supply.
The GHMC at present has only one dumping yard at Jawaharnagar but the facility spread over 339 acres has started to inch towards saturation, concede the civic body officials. “The Chief Minister’s perspective on steps to set up dumping yards keeping in view the future needs is right and appropriate. If steps are not initiated now, the city could be facing a big problem of garbage disposal in the coming days,” said an official.
On an average, around 3,400 metric tonnes of garbage is lifted from the GHMC limits and given the expansion of the city in all directions, officials point out at the need of at least five more dump yards to be created at the earliest. “Land is the major issue. We need at least 200 acres each in five different points outside the city,” said GHMC Additional Commissioner (Sanitation), N. Ravi Kiran. The present facility at Jawaharnagar was operated in a haphazard manner which resulted in complaints of ground water contamination and other pollution related issues, following which rectification efforts were taken up. Earlier dumping yards at Autonagar and Gandhamguda too faced complaints of unscientific handling and invited lot of criticism.
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With no possibility of finding such large land tract, at least 200 acres, in Hyderabad district, the focus would now be on the neighbouring districts of Ranga Reddy, Medak, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda for creating new dump yards. “The problem in setting up a dumping yard is that none wants it in proximity to their habitation and the moment we start exploring a location, there is a hue from the surrounding areas,” GHMC official said.