Indiscriminate dumping of garbage and plastic materials in the irrigation channels continues unchecked at Lakkapuram in Modakkurichi block.
Power looms in large numbers are located in the villages where two irrigation channels, including the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal 1, pass through. Also, residential areas are also located near these units. Garbage, plastic materials and waste from the power looms are dumped in these channels regularly by the residents and the unit workers and are set on fire causing air pollution.
Many residents said that in the absence of dustbins and delay in door-to-door collection by the workers, they are forced to dump the waste in the channels. Workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) cleaned the garbage many times in the past years and have also asked people not to dump the waste in the channel. However, dumping continues everyday.
The channel carries water once in two years and hence people see it a place for dumping garbage without any difficulty. They wanted adequate bins to be placed in the area so that they can dump the waste in the bins. “Since there are no bins, we dump in the channels”, said residents in Vaikalmedu. Many people said that burning of waste by the power loom workers cause breathing trouble and also cause skin diseases to them. They wanted the burning of wastes to be stopped and instead effectively implement the solid waste management in the panchayat.