A resident and his love for a neighbourhood lake

T. Suresh Kumar draws attention to the issue of garbage being dumped in the Peerkankaranai Eri

T. Suresh Kumar, a young environmental and a social activist, has been doggedly pursuing the issue of garbage being dumped in the Peerkankaranai Eri.

The garbage is allegedly being dumped in the lake by the Peerkankaranai Town Panchayat.

Suresh, who is a long-time resident of Peerkankaranai, says, “I am engaging with the town panchayat over this issue, from 2014. The Peerkankaranai Town Panchayat's source segregation centre is located adjacent to the lake, and garbage is dumped into the lake. Besides, at the segregation centre, garbage is burnt.”

Suresh says that besides the conservancy staff, some residents also fling trash-filled plastic covers into the waterbody.

Suresh says there is a lackadaiscial attitude towards the maintenance of the waterbody. “In 2014, I spotted the carcass of a pig floating in the lake. Despite many complaints to the authorities concerned, the carcass stayed in the waterbody for week. It was removed only after I sent a mail with photos of the floating carcass.”

Suresh says that as a result of garbage burning, residents living in areas around the source segregation centre suffer from breathing problems, especially coughing and wheezing.