Littered Yamunanagar waste plant a health hazard

Shiv Kumar Sharma 

Several thousand tonnes of garbage accumulated on an eight-acre dumpsite and on the premises of the solid waste management plant at Kail village in Yamunanagar district has become a major health hazard. It is also polluting the environment

A foul smell emanating from garbage has made the life of residents of Kail and other villages miserable. Kail village is situated about 200 metres from the waste management plant. Villagers say heaps of garbage at the dumpsite have been mounting for the past four and a half years as the solid waste management plant has been non-functional since December 2014.

Hardeep Singh, a resident of Kail village, says that the Municipal Corporation, Yamunanagar-Jagadhri, is violating the provisions of the Air and Water Prevention and Control Act by dumping garbage without segregating it.

Meena, a resident of Haripur village, says that the foul smell coming from garbage at the dumpsite may cause vector-borne and air-borne diseases in the area.

“We are forced to lead a miserable life because heaps of garbage have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and bees, which are spreading diseases in neighbouring villages such as Kail, Kathwala, Bhole ka Majra, Haripur, Rulha Kheri, and Khera,” says Meena.

Villagers say that the corporation should either make the waste management plant functional or shift the dumpsite to other place as early as possible.

Vikram Singh, another resident of Kail village, says that they have written a number of letters to the Chief Minister and local administration officers but nothing positive has happened.

Hardeep says that the waste management plant and its dumpsite are spread over eight acres in Kail village and are situated on the old Jagadhri-Panchkula National Highway.

He says that sometimes garbage is also thrown along the old national highway. “It is difficult to pass through this area due to the fetid smell of garbage dumped along the national highway. Accidents have occurred due to distraction caused by the foul smell, as people lost control over their vehicles,” adds Hardeep. 

The plant at Kail village was set up in 2012 at a cost of Rs 10.77 crore to convert solid waste generated in Yamunanagar and Jagadhri and 42 villages falling within the jurisdiction of the municipal corporation into manure.

Anil Nain, Chief Sanitary Inspector, Municipal Corporation, says that they are making efforts to make the plant functional. Besides, they are taking a number of steps to handle garbage in a scientific way. Similarly, heaps of garbage are being levelled with the help of earthmovers to create space for more garbage.