MULUGU : Sanitation issues have arisen in the tiny village of Medaram of Mulugu district after the mini Sammakka-Saralamma jatara came to an end on Sunday, which drew lakhs of devotees.
The huge amount of waste left by devotees poses a health threat to the residents of Medaram and the surrounding villages in the agency area. To address the situation, the Mulugu district administration has deployed 400 sanitation workers to clear and dispose of waste.
According to sources, although the priests announced that the Maha Jatara would end after special rituals on Saturday, thousands of devotees thronged to offer prayers to Sammakka-Saralamma deities till Sunday.
Speaking to TNIE, Mulugu Collector Divakara TS said, “Twenty-six groups have been deployed for cleaning in Medaram and surrounding villages. The district Panchayat Raju department secretaries and MPDOs are monitoring the cleaning process. We have also taken the precaution of arranging a dump yard for the disposal of waste material within the Medaram village limits.”
He further stated that the huge amount of human and animal waste may increase the incidence of skin and other diseases. As a precautionary measure, the district Medical and Health department has deployed 90 staff to provide round-the-clock emergency services.
The teams are also conducting a door-to-door fever and skin diseases survey in both Medaram and the surrounding eight to ten villages, said the collector.