MADURAI: The morning air of Nagamalai Pudukottai has been stagnant with smoke and pollutants as rural authorities have resorted to burning waste for the last several years.
A regular sight from the Government-aided Arts and Science College to Madurai Kamaraj University during the morning hours is waste burning on both sides of the road. Residents have alleged air and soil pollution due to improper waste management. When TNIE visited the place, the burnt waste included plastic bags, plastic bottles, and other non-biodegradable garbage.
Speaking to TNIE, S Muniyandi, a stationery shop owner, said, “Once every two days, cleanliness workers collect waste from houses and burn it in more than ten places without segregation.”
"Waste management exists only on paper. My father fainted twice after inhaling the toxic smoke coming from burning waste. Though we questioned the workers, they did not care. Mostly from 9 am to 10 am, the roads are stagnant with dark smoke, and pedestrians and vehicle drivers struggle to navigate," he said.
M Gowri, a teacher, said, “Burning waste has become a common method to dispose of garbage in rural areas of the district. I have noticed plastic, paper coated with chemicals, plastic bags, and other items being burnt. This releases toxic substances and produces many pollutants like carbon monoxide, ash, and dioxins, thereby causing particle pollution.”
“The public is susceptible to dangerous health conditions after continuous inhalation and ingestion of the pollutants. Open burning affects the eyes, nose, and causes throat irritation and respiratory issues. It affects the soil, groundwater levels, and crops. However, authorities fail to consider the impacts," Gowri said.
Responding to this issue, Assistant Director (Panchayats) Aravindan said that they are concentrating mainly on the segregation of wastes and urged residents to segregate it.
“As part of the waste management, we are doing plastic shredding and using it in laying roads. We have a compost pit and segregation shed at different points in the area. Residents are not allowed to set up compost pits in their residential areas; authorities are yet to find around 400 sq ft of land,” he said.
“Another challenge we are facing is a lack of manpower. In 2019, authorities appointed one cleanliness worker for 150 households; now, one worker is forced to look after up to 350 households," he added.