Residents of K. K. Nagar complain that pests infesting the rice stocks stored in the Central Warehousing Corporation are inconveniencing their daily lives.
On any given day, our houses are filled with rice weevils which fly from the nearby rice godowns of the Central Warehousing Corporation, rue residents. “Pests fly into our house fall into our food, water, and anything else that is kept open. They even disturb our sleep by getting into ears and nose. There is no way to stop it; we have tried every method,” says Lakshmi Murugesan, a resident of Gowardan Garden Street.
Several volunteers and politicians approach residents promising swift action but there has been no outcome, says R. Chitra, another resident. “We have lived here for over 20 years but nobody has been able to do anything. Men come saying they represent some association or group and ask for signatures. But they never come back,” says Ms. Chitra.
After years of inaction by official authorities, the residents organised themselves into an association and submitted a petition to the District Collector recently. “We conducted a meeting involving the local police and officers from the warehouse, demanding action. If they are not shifting the warehouse, at least some sort of protective walls must be constructed to prevent the pests from flying into residential areas,” says T. Namachivayam, Secretary, Bhuvaneshwari Nagar and Gowardhan Garden Welfare Association.
Officials at the warehouse say that it is a helpless situation. “The rice stored here is supplied through the Public Distribution System to five districts around Tiruchi, including Perambalur and Karur. To protect it, we do continuous fumigation and protection. The pests are controlled using prescribed dosage of chemicals. Increasing the dosage will contaminate the foodgrain,” said the official. Rice weevils come only from June to September and do not thrive in rainy or cold weather.
The warehouse has been supplied with flycatchers by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to deal with the pest problem. “UV lights are used to attract the pests which will fall into a vessel containing water and oil. It is the best solution for us and could also be supplied to the residents,” says the official. Warehouses across the country have the problem but since they are situated outside the city, residents are not affected by it, he adds.
