HYDERABAD: Even a brief spell of rain turns Monda Market in Secunderabad into a cesspool, complains a regular. While the statement may be slightly exaggerated due to personal reasons, the fact that the market continues to function in unsanitary conditions cannot be denied.
The poor waste management and broken drainage pose health and safety risks to vendors and shoppers alike. Rotting vegetables, plastic waste and stagnant water have become routine sights, with no visible garbage bins in the area and irregular clearance by municipal workers.
Vendors say they generate between 10 and 15 kg of waste each day, but in the absence of designated disposal points, garbage is dumped in the open. Stray cattle feed on the waste, leading to concerns about animal welfare and the spread of disease.
“There are no dustbins here. The garbage van doesn’t come regularly either,” said Shankar Yadav, a vendor with 12 years’ experience at the market.
The accumulated waste, combined with blocked drains and broken manholes, worsens during the rainy season, turning lanes into slushy, foul-smelling passages.
Shoppers say the conditions are deterring regular footfall. “It’s impossible to walk inside the market. Open drains and sharp edges make it unsafe,” said Meghna, a resident who used to frequent the market.
While the GHMC occasionally clears roads on the periphery, vendors say interior lanes are rarely cleaned. Stall owners claim that desilting and garbage removal are neither regular nor adequate.