Garbage Dumps Could be a Cause for Eye Infections

BANGALORE: Ramachandra Rao and his family wake up early morning, stand next to their gate and request people not to dump garbage near their house. This has become a daily routine for these Rajarajeshwari Nagar residents for the past few months.

The dumping point next to their house overflows with garbage as BBMP officials have not cleared it for the past two weeks.

In fact, besides the foul smell and the possibility of mosquito-borne diseases, the garbage could be causing eye infections in the area. Many residents of houses near the garbage dumping points are suffering from eye infections. They attribute their eye irritation to the days-old garbage.

Rao said the contractor has failed to collect garbage from houses because of which garbage is dumped in every nook and corner. “Most of the time, even the garbage collected from households is dumped at these points and not removed for a week,” added Rao.

“For a few days, I tried parking my vehicle at the dumping point, but in vain. I was surprised to see garbage under my car in the morning,” he added.

Rao said complaints to BBMP authorities fall on deaf ears, and that the family is left with no other option but to plead with people not to litter outside their house.

Other residents too blame the BBMP officials for not clearing the garbage, which has now become a breeding ground for insects and is possibly causing eye irritation. Sixty-six-year-old Saroja said, “In a week’s time all the members in my family got an itching and a burning sensation in their eyes.” A day care centre owner said he had to declare a holiday when children started complaining of eye irritation.

Prithvi, a PU student, said, “I used to walk my dog every morning and had to cross one garbage dumping point. For the past three days I have been having irritation in my eyes.” Ophthalmologist Dr Bhujanga Shetty of Narayana Netralaya feels that garbage could be the reason behind eye irritation. He advises people to keep away from the smoke generated from burning garbage, bursting crackers and dust. He also suggests keeping a distance from infected people.

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