Kakinada is faced with shifting heaps of filth

 andhrapradesh | Written by : Suryaa Desk Updated: Wed, Jul 18, 2018, 03:33 PM

In the absence of designated dumping grounds for solid waste here, the city is faced with shifting heaps of filth and changing routes of dustcarts that leave a stench lingering.

The recent affected enclave is Sanjay Nagar, whose residents in two groups are staging round the clock agitations obstructing trucks that unload refuse around their homes.“The garbage heaps next to our residences is posing a major health challenge to all of us. Dengue and malaria are a common occurrence here and the condition turns worst during the monsoon,” says Merla Varalakshmi, president of a local health group and leader of one of the agitating groups.

“We are fed up with submitting representations to officials and elected representatives, and therefore swung into action to stop the dumping of garbage,” she says. Though the Kakinada Municipal Corporation acquired a seven acre site near Samalkot for a solid waste management plant for 1.76 crore six months ago, the project remained a non-starter. “We are not going to give up the agitation and allow garbage into our area any more,” says Ms. Varalakshmi.

“It is very difficult to have garbage next to our house. We have to bear with the stink , deal with flies and frequent movement of about 100 to 120 garbage vehicles a day,” says Budhinala Venkataramana, another resident.Despite a waste disposal system at the household level, authorities have it tough at the next stage. In the past two decades, garbage dumping points have shifted from Panduru, where residents objected to it, to Military Road to Chollangi and to Sanjay Nagar.

The city, spread across 31.69 square kilometres, has 3.25 lakh people. According to the Corporation, 82,855 households produce 220 metric tonnes of garbage a day.