HYDERABAD: The stench from the huge piles of garbage from the Mahatma Gandhi Dumping Yard has engulfed several colonies of the Secunderabad Cantonment area. Around 1,000-odd families have claimed that while the stench from the dump yard is a year-long thing, the arrival of the monsoon makes it more dreadful.
The Mahatma Gandhi Dumping Yard, which was once a community hall, is now home to tonnes of garbage and is the reason for residents of Shastri Nagar, Padmanabha Colony, Malani Enclave, Surya Enclave, Indian Airlines Colony and Mahalakshmi Colony having sleepless nights due to the stench.
“Our colony is very close to the dumping yard, because of which the stench makes it impossible to even breath. It is a health hazard for all of us here. But, there seems to be no value for our lives, which is why despite our multiple complaints the dump yard is not being shut or relocated,” said Samson, who lives in Shastri Colony.
A resident of Malani Enclave, Venkata Ramana, said: “While we are already reeling under the fear of Covid-19, there is also a scare of other health issues including water-borne diseases and outbreaks of Malaria and the Zika virus. Additionally, due to the leaching of toxins from the garbage, our groundwater has also been polluted.” The residents are demanding that the government take immediate action to relocate the dumping yard.