Leachate slow poisons water bodies

The dark-coloured liquid that drains from landfill is being let out into lakes, allege residents of Jawaharnagar

Awaiting quick action: Debris dumped in Peddacheruvu whose water has become unusable in the recent years.

Water bodies around Jawaharnagar landfill are being contaminated by leachate from the dump yard, residents allege.

Leachate, a dark-coloured liquid that drains from the landfill, is collected in ponds at the base of the hillock that houses the landfill. Considered a health hazard, the liquid requires treatment before it can be released into the environment. Locals of villages abutting Jawaharnagar, including Cheeryala, Ahmedguda and Malkapuram, as well as the residents of JNNURM and Rajiv Gruha Kalpa housing colonies, allege the leachate is being let out into water bodies.

B.V. Emanuel, a retired defence personnel living in Jawaharnagar, has been tracking pollution issues in the area since the dump yard was set up more than a decade ago.

According to him, the leachate ponds have bunds which are conveniently broken to let the excess away.

“The ponds are not sufficient to contain leachate. The treatment capacity is much smaller than what drains. When there is excess, it has to be let out. Else it will flood. The long chain of ponds eventually meet water channels that lead to water bodies,” he claimed. “The story of pollution is same for all lakes at Nagaram, Rampalli and all the way up to Edulabad Lake,” he added.

At Cheeryala village, less than 5 km from the dump yard, locals claim the waters of Peddacheruvu have become unusable in the recent years. They attribute the plight of the lake to leachate in water channels that carry water to the lake.

“These water was used for fishing, washing and also for animal drinking purposes. Now, it cannot be used for anything,” said G. Tirumala Reddy, a Cheeryala local who has been at the forefront of protests against the dump yard in the past.

Mr. Reddy added that the groundwater in the village has been contaminated by the leachate.

“The water that we are forced to use for all domestic purposes other than drinking is red-brown coloured,” he said. The villagers also say the breeze over lake causes a pungent odour to hang in the air. “We will soon be forced to open the gates of the lake ourselves, which is illegal, and let the water out for relief. We are hoping the authorities act soon,” said a local.

The leachate has also affected Rajiv Gruha Kalpa, where around 500 families live, the locals claim. Located at the base of the hillock, the housing project is now one of the sites of the State government’s two-bedroom house scheme.