Kerala waste dump fire elicits concern from activists & locals about garbage heaps in Sheeshambada
Monday, 13 March 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Activists and locals have expressed concern about heaps of garbage accumulated in the solid waste management and recycling plant in Sheeshambada after the recent fire in the garbage dump at Kochi in Kerala. The situation had become so bad in Kochi that the administration had to call in the Air Force and Navy to douse the garbage fire.
The dumpsite at the plant in Sheeshambada also witnessed a major fire in April last year which caused severe air pollution and took several days to be extinguished completely. The plant witnessed another fire the next month at the site which was contained within a few hours. Though the authorities could not ascertain the specific cause of the fire in both incidents, the locals claimed that the fire was set intentionally to reduce the accumulated garbage load. Chaitanya Gaur, a member of a group of local residents Pachhwadoon Sanyukt Samiti said that they live with the continuous fear that some serious accident might occur in the plant, especially in summers, due to the huge pile of garbage accumulated there during a period of five years. He said that they have appealed to all authorities concerned to shift the plant before such a similar accident occurs in Sheeshambada too. Social activist and founder of Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, Anoop Nautiyal said that the condition of garbage in the SWM plant in Sheeshambada is quite serious as nearly three lakh metric tonnes of waste has accumulated there in the past five years which roughly translates to an average accumulation of 1.5 lakh kilogrammes of waste daily. He said that the waste management situation at Sheeshambada and other cities and towns of the State needs the highest levels of attention from leaders and government authorities concerned. He said that the situation is expected to get more serious in the coming days with the increasing number of tourists and pilgrims arrivals besides the approaching summer, which is another challenge. He said, “I urge immediate and sustained interventions to minimise potential risks and damages from the accumulated waste at Sheeshambara and other locations of the State.” The chief municipal health officer Dr Avinash Khanna has stated that the MCD is taking measures to dispose of the accumulated garbage as soon as possible while making sure no new garbage accumulation occurs in the plant anymore.
