Due to a dearth of dumping grounds in village panchayats, vacant lands are being expediently turned into spaces for garbage disposal.
A huge parcel of vacant land along Link Road, bordering Thiruverukadu and Poonamallee near Poonamallee High Road, is a case in point. It is piled high with garbage and construction debris. The garbage includes refuse from poultry farms and slaughterhouses.
The Link Road connects Poonamalle High Road and Mount—Poonamalle Main Road and it is therefore characterised by movement of heavy traffic including MTC buses and lorries.
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“Cattle and pigs are drawn to this waste. It is common to see these animals dart across the road, taking motorists by surprise. As the road lacks sufficient lighting at night, motor accidents involving these animals are common,” says S. Premkumar, a resident of Porur.
The fact that the road lacks road safety features such as traffic signals, speed breakers, reflectors, sign boards and street lamps adds a deadly dimension to the problem.
As the Link Road lacks significant police patrolling at night, garbage is dumped in the land then.
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The Poonamallee Municipality, on an average, generates around 40 metric tonnes of garbage every day. Along with the neighbouring Municipalities of Avadi and Thiruverukadu, the municipality dumps its entire waste at a common yard in Sekkadu, Avadi where the waste is being processed. The purpose of having such a common landfill site is to prevent dumping of garbage in residential areas.
However, unlike the Corporation and municipalities, village panchayats do not have their own landfill sites due to inadequate revenue generation.
Residents suggest that the open land along Link Road be fenced to prevent dumping of waste.
“Appropriate measures will taken to prevent dumping of garbage in unauthorised places,” says a State Highways official.