THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though a punishable offence, dumping toxic waste to fill land has become a common practice in the city. As per law, only construction and demolition (C & D) materials are allowed to be used to level land.
A recent incident, where waste materials used for landfilling went viral on social media after a person posted a picture of the occurrence underway in Sasthamangalam-Pipinmoodu road, has put the focus back on the issue. Corporation officials, however, remain unaware. "Dumping toxic waste to fill land is a punishable offence. If we identify such cases on public property, a fine is levied on the spot and action taken against the offenders. In the case of private property, it gets a bit tricky. Action can only be taken if the person is found guilty as per the Public Health Act," said an official with the corporation. "We have not received any such complaints as of now. If we do, suitable action will be taken," he said.
"The incident being referred to is disturbing. As the city is considering solution for waste disposal and aiming to reduce solid waste, such an act is unacceptable. The waste is toxic and its toxicity will affect groundwater as well as the river flowing through the area," said a local.
Officials blame local-self governing bodies in the neighbourhood for the piling up of waste."E-waste and toxic waste are brought in huge quantities in the middle of the night after being collected from various locations outside the city limits and they get dumped to fill in pits. It proves less expensive for landowners as compared to the C & D materials. Most of these incidents go unreported. There was no incident in the recent past. However, we receive complaints all the time. Mining soil already attracts a lot of media attention and the corporation usually gets slammed," said another official with the corporation. As of now, there are close to 45 material and resource recovery centres in the city and one dry waste collection hub near Sasthamangalam.