Chennai: To stop people from dumping garbage on the bunds of Iyyappa Nagar lake, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has put up notice boards stating that disposal of garbage along the periphery of the lake is prohibited.
Only a few weeks ago, dustbins that were kept in the streets of Madipakkam were removed by the GCC in order to replace them with separate bins for degradable and non-degradable waste but the bins were not replaced and the neighbourhood is facing a tough time in disposing of everyday domestic waste.
This problem had a major impact on Iyyappa Nagar Lake, said residents. People who visit the place tend to eat food items that are sold by the eateries located nearby. The plastic wrappers and the food containers are thrown on the bund and the road, as there is no garbage bin, they added.
Those who take a walk, including a number of elderly people, find it extremely difficult to walk on the footpath built on the bund as the garbage gets scattered, raising an eye sore, opined many.
To maintain cleanliness and hygiene near the waterbody, the GCC has put up notice boards saying people are not supposed to dump garbage in and around the waterbody.
GCC officials have stated that after putting up notice boards, it is expected that people will act more responsibly and not dump their domestic waste and other plastic waste in and around the water body and help in maintaining the cleanliness of the area.
Officials also said it is not fair to shutdown the eateries and stated that instead they can take better steps like installing more dustbins, using grid table material for packaging so that the degree of pollution can be brought down to a greater extent.
Seeni Sethuraman, a socially active resident of Karthikeyapuram, said, “A couple of weeks ago, GCC cleaned canals and inlets that lead to Iyyappa Nagar lake, thereby making a way to store more water in the lake and prevent flooding in the roads of the locality, during rainy season. We are glad that they are taking steps to protect the lake.”