Industrial Waste Dumped in Village, Public Health Concerns Raised

In a signal display of callousness towards public health, waste collected from a government agency promoting industries in the southern Indian state of Tami Nadu id being dumped in a village without the consent of the people living there.

With monsoon rains fast approaching, the villagers are worried about a possible health crisis when the waste is washed into water sources and their homes.

For the past four months trucks have been arriving in a remote hamlet called Ingur, in the western part of Tamil Nadu, stealthily in the night and dump in the open bags after bags of solid waste.

Reports say that they are all gathered as waste from processing industries in nearby SIPCOT industrial complex managed by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) Limited, a fully government owned undertaking.

All along the Ingur-Perundurai Railway Station Road one can easily spot bags of solid waste thrown every few feet. Over a period of time, the bags shrink and dry up and the waste is scattered all round.

Ingur panchayat president E. V. M. Nataraja Murthy laments, “Twice or thrice every month for the past few months, vehicles from processing industries from SIPCOT dump their waste here.”

They have converted our village into a vast dumping yard, and without our knowledge and consent, he notes.

And worse could follow when monsoon sets in. The waste could get washed into water sources and even their homes, making life miserable for the Ingur residents.

Murthy says he has written letters to the processors’ association, SIPCOT management as well as the district administration, but to no avail.

In response to the allegations, the Perundurai SIPCOT Textile Processors’ Association denies it is doing any such thing to the village.

“None of our members dump their waste in the village, for we have provision to stock the waste. It could be the handiwork of tanners,” says P.K.M. Chandrasekar of the Association.

Saying their waste products are disposed of through legitimate channels, without affecting anyone, he also suggests testing of the chemical contents of the waste.

It can then be found out who is behind it all and appropriate action taken, he points out.

Source-Medindia
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