With garbage heaped in select pockets of Kasaragod, the district could well be susceptible to an epidemic outbreak with monsoon all set to pick up momentum from next month.
The inability of the authorities to put in place an effective waste management system is a matter of concern for residents of the district.
After the Kelugude ground was closed following protests by residents of the locality, both sides of the busy National Highway have turned out to be an ideal place for many to dump wastes generated from restaurants, households and hospitals.
As the pre-monsoon showers began to lash the district, wastes dumped in plastic bags began to slowly seep through and mix up with water bodies such as rivers and wells.
Plastic carrybags
On both sides of the 70-km stretch of national highway from the northern border township of Thalapdy to Kanhangad, one can see hundreds of smaller heaps of wastes dumped in non-degradable plastic carrybags.
There are reports of wastes being thrown into rivers, streams, drainage channels, lanes, along rail tracks and uninhabited places making it an easy ground for breeding of flies and mosquitoes.
Neither the district administration nor the local body representatives appear to have taken any concrete steps to put a blanket ban on the plastic carry bag, which are found to be an easy way to dump wastes in public places.
The authorities say that various local bodies have allowed use of varying types of plastic bags making inspection and raids on shops and other commercial outlets extremely difficult and impractical.
The increasing presence of non-degradable flex boards in public places too has made things even more complex, says a senior Health official here.
