Chennai: Heaps of garbage can be seen lying around in lanes, footpaths and against walls of houses across Chrompet. The reason for this, according to residents, is the ineffective garbage disposal system.
Says Kannan, a resident of Chrompet, ”The situation can improve only if there is segregation at the source level and proper waste collection. It can change for the worse, if authorities do not take immediate action. I have also observed that the number of sanitation workers who come to clean the streets is less, indicating that the administration has insufficient manpower than needed”.
Echoing the same, Yashwanth, who has been living here for more than a decade, says, ”Garbage and debris in drains blocked rainwater flow, causing floods during monsoon. We wonder why there is no proper garbage disposal system in place”.
“The heap, comprising mainly plastic bags and bottles, is not collected by the authorities. Also, adequate dustbins are missing at many places”, he adds.”A section also says that people should have civic sense and the garbage should be placed inside the bins that are placed at strategic locations.Municipal workers cannot go everywhere to collect garbage”, they add.
”People disposing in the open is a problem. In search of food, stray dogs tear bags and all sorts of waste spill out of then. Sometimes, even used diapers are seen lying around. It is simply sickening”, says Ganesh, a marketing executive.
“Vacant plots and spaces along the roads remain easy targets for commercial establishments and residents to dump their trash including plastic, because of slackness in door-to-door collection”, he adds.In some cases, these wastes are burnt. It will take a toll among residents having respiratory ailments.
“The civic body should take action against such offenders”, he says.