HYDERABAD: Piles of garbage can be seen in the middle of the roads in various parts of Pathergatti, a historic bazar and renowned market place for pearls, jewellery and wedding collection near Charminar in the Old City of Hyderabad. Apart from being an eyesore, the utter lack of sanitation can put the residents’ health at risk. In the residential areas surrounding Mir Alam Mandi, which is within a radius of 6 km, fruit and vegetable vendors throw the perished goods blatantly on the roads and under parked lorries.
Irfan Mohammad, a resident, says, “The fruit and vegetable stalls in the mandi jut out into the market main road. Then, within 3 km, there are piles of garbage right in the middle of the road. Imagine our plight when we have to bear the stench. The main road gets congested and traffic is blocked very often because of garbage dumping.”
About 5 pm everyday, which is the peak traffic hour in the area with customers in large numbers approaching the market, these piles of garbage cause traffic jams as there is hardly any space left for the vehicles to circumvent and make their way. At certain places, goats flock to the garbage dumps, rummaging for food. These dump yards serve as breeding grounds for flies and mosquitoes. In the last few years, at least eight residents of Pathergatti have died of dengue.
Ziaullah Siddiqui, a grocer at Mir Alam Mandi, says, “Many a time, GHMC workers pick up the garbage during night. But there are days when the garbage remains lying on the main road for a couple of days. The vegetable vendors are least bothered about the filth. As trucks move up and down, the rotten and damaged vegetables, fruits and leaves get crushed under the wheels of the vehicles, leaving a filthier mess which is difficult to clean.”
As for other civic problems, people living in the residential areas receive drinking water supply only on alternate days. The drainage system is faulty and sewage leaking from drainage pipelines sometimes gets into drinking water pipelines. Syed Sohail Qadri, corporator from Ward No. 32 (Pathergatti), agrees that sanitation is a major challenge in the area. “It is mainly because of acute shortage of sanitation workers that the garbage lies scattered on roads for days,” Qadri says.