DHARMAPURI: To curb rising pollution in two municipalities and 10 town panchayats in Dharmapuri district, the district administration is preparing an action plan to identify and penalise polluters.
Pollution is emerging as a pressing cause for concern in Dharmapuri, with multiple localities reporting deteriorating environmental conditions that are affecting water quality, public health and agricultural lands.
Even as the urban local bodies are involved in daily waste collection and solid waste management in these areas, piles of trash have been observed in localities across the urban areas. To tackle this, the administration is working on plans to improve surveillance and take action against miscreants responsible for pollution.
Speaking to TNIE, a sanitary worker in Dharmapuri municipality said, "We have over 150 workers involved in daily cleanup of roads. We begin collecting waste from 7 am and continue until 10 am. We alert people in the locality by blowing a whistle or even ringing the doorbell.
In most cases, people bring the trash and we separate it. But hours after we complete this task across over 100 residences, we find trash heaps along the roadside, mostly food or plastic waste. We urge people to extend their cooperation. Further, the administration's efforts to improve surveillance in the hotspots will also be of great help to us."
B Kumaresan, a farmer from Dharmapuri, said, "Near Dharmapuri, Ramakkal Lake, Elakkiyampatti Lake, Sanathkumar River are filled with plastic. We don't need to dig deep to see the levels of pollution; just observing the lakes show the levels of pollution. It has been a long-pending request of the people to protect the waterbodies, and we are glad some initiative is being taken."
Collector R Sadheesh, who commented on the means to curb pollution, said, "In a recent study conducted by the town panchayat and municipality staff, we identified over 252 hotspots in the urban areas with high levels of pollution. We will take safeguarding steps to improve the surveillance in these areas and prevent pollution. Further initiatives will be taken to monitor these areas with CCTVs, so we can also take action against the polluters."