DHARMAPURI: Residents and farmers in the district are sounding the alarm as plastic waste, notably single-use plastic cups and other disposable plastics, increasingly litters agricultural fields, waterbodies, and residential localities, increasing pollution in canals, lakes, and lands that sustain farming and daily life. Heaps of plastic debris in irrigation channels and community water sources have raised public health and environmental concerns, with locals urging authorities to step up waste management and enforcement of plastic control measures before the menace further jeopardises crops, drinking water, and livelihoods.
People have reported that with increasing liquor consumption in the past few weeks due to successive festivals, shops have been amassing single-use plastic cups and selling them at higher prices illegally, causing them to enter farmlands and waterbodies and even clog drainage systems.
Speaking to TNIE, R Sibirajan from Odasalpatti said, "A few years ago, the state government had banned single-use plastics, among them plastic cups were also included. But despite the ban, every single shop, big or small, sells plastic cups. It is predominantly sold in shops near Tasmac outlets, with no fear of repercussion from officials. If the situation is left unchecked, our farmlands, waterbodies, and drainage will be irreparably polluted or damaged."
A Senthilkumar, a farmer from Dharmapuri, said, "The municipality and FSSAI have occasionally fined a few shops Rs 2,000 or Rs 3,000 for selling polythene covers. There is no monitoring for the sale of plastic cups, and there is no real punishment. These shops get the cups from a local distributor who buys them from Karnataka or other states. The distributor sells it for Rs 3 or Rs 4 per cup, and the shops sell it for up to Rs 8 per cup. There are very few shops in the district that do not sell plastic cups. Even if action is taken, it is usually against the shops, while the distributor goes scot-free."
When TNIE reached out to several officials in the municipality, they said, "We have been actively involved in the identification and eradication of single-use plastic. However, people also have the responsibility to report the sale of single-use plastic. There is indeed an influx of plastic cups, but we do not know the origins of this and only with active participation from the public can we clear the district of single-use plastic. We will also increase monitoring in the municipality."