VIJAYAWADA: The unmindful dumping of construction waste on the arterial roads in Quddus Nagar has become a cause of concern for the residents. However, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), which is supposed to take initiatives to prevent such dumping, continue to turn a blind eye towards the issue.
The debris is being dumped during night hours. Sometimes, the debris spills over the road, making riding difficult for vehicle users.
Though residents have taken the issue to the notice of senior officials on several occasions, no efforts have been made so far to properly dispose of the construction debris. If the locality was unattended, it could lead to accidents.
"The vacation for school students has just started and kids are out in the open to play. It is not possible for us to constantly monitor kids' activities. We are extremely worried now because of the solid waste, especially construction debris, is being dumped on either sides of the road. Heaps of construction debris and reeking garbage give pedestrians and motorists a harrowing time," said A Satyanarayana, a retired employee who resides in the locality.
Another major problem haunting the locality is sewage overflow on the roads. Many street-lanes in the locality are too narrow and don't have proper drainage system. Sewage flows on the major roads in the locality, causing much inconvenience to the residents.
"The open drains are originally meant to discharge excess rainwater into water bodies. Due to the delay in UGD work, these areas have no alternative but to discharge waste water into the drains, thus contaminating the water bodies," said K Nagavalli, a resident.
Motorists say that they are apprehensive about driving on these lanes as the buses might slip into the open drains, especially at night.
Further, residents complained that the open drains also polluted the old water pipelines in the neighbourhood due to seepage. The residents have also requested the authorities concerned to restrict the movement of heavy vehicles, especially sewage tankers, during rush hour. The drains have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and can thereby spread vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue.
When the problem was taken into the notice of civic body officials, they said that completion of UGD work would put an end to the problem. "Though steps were taken by the authorities concerned to desilt the drains, it is not done at periodic intervals. The workers, after de-silting the drains, dump the silt on the road and it will not be cleared immediately. Whenever it rains, sewage overflows onto the thoroughfare as there are no discharge points," R Sandhya, another resident of the locality, complained.
When contacted, a VMC official said that strict action would be taken against dumping of waste on roads if complaint is received.
''We have strictly instructed our sanitary inspectors and ground level staff to take action against those who dumped sand or other construction material on the roads. If people continue to dump waste on the roads, we will not hesitate to remove the stuff with the help of the police. Residents can call and complain on such violations at the Corporation's helpline 103'', said a senior VMC official on condition of anonymity.
Other issues
Many street-lanes in the locality are too narrow and don't have proper drainage system
Sewage flows on the major roads in the locality, causing much inconvenience to the resident
Residents complained that the open drains also polluted the old water pipelines in the neighbourhood due to seepage
Drains in the area have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes
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We are extremely worried now because of the solid waste, especially construction debris, is being dumped on either sides of the road. Heaps of construction debris and reeking garbage give pedestrians and motorists a harrowing time -- A Satyanarayana, a retired employee
The open drains are originally meant to discharge excess rainwater into water bodies. Due to the delay in UGD work, these areas have no alternative but to discharge waste water into the drains, thus contaminating the water bodies -- K Nagavalli, a resident.
If people continue to dump waste on the roads, we will remove it with the help of the police. Residents can call and complain on such violations at the Corporation's helpline 103 -- a VMC official