Angul: With the district administration recently taking charge of the civic body, lifting of garbage and scavenging have become more regular. But, social activists, environmentalists and common people have expressed their concern over the administration allowing garbage to be burnt on the roadside itself, which is being carried out rampantly in the morning these days.
Early in the morning when health-conscious people come out for walks, they are greeted either by the stench of garbage or the sight of garbage burning—both equally unpleasant. “The purpose of going for walks in the morning is to inhale a good volume of pure oxygen since at that time vehicular traffic is relatively thin and pollution levels lower. Instead, we are forced to breathe in dust and the more harmful toxic fumes emanating from the piles of burning garbage,” rued an elderly walker.
The way heaps of garbage lie around here and there in the town, it does not seem that the district administration is doing anything to give its denizens a good environment to live in.
Locals allege that the administration is yet to come up with a solution to the long-standing dumping yard problem here. The garbage, instead of being scientifically disposed of in a dumping yard, is set on fire turning the salubrious morning atmosphere into a poisonous one.
Basically, when polythene bags, plastic glasses, pouches are burnt it gives out a toxic kind of gas, harmful for people and particularly more harmful for asthma patients.
For some time garbage was not cleared from the streets, lanes and by-lanes in the town. Only recently, the work has resumed with four places, including the bus stand, being given priority. Locals heaved a sigh of relief when cleaning and sweeping started again. But the euphoria was short-lived. “This (burning garbage) may be making the job of the staff engaged in cleaning easier, but it is definitely increasing the pollution problem for the dwellers,” fumed a local.
When contacted, State Pollution Control Board regional officer Binod Bihari Das admitted that a toxic kind of gas gets mixed in air when polythene is burnt. But how much it contributes to atmospheric pollution is yet to be measured, he said.
“As polythene forms a major share of any pile of garbage, and if the practice of setting it on fire goes on for a long period, people who live nearby tend to get affected with asthma.,” he observed.
Executive officer, Angul Municipality, Subhendu Jena said, “It has been a month since the lifting of garbage started. However, garbage should not be incinerated at the collection points inside the town. If it is being done, we will ask our staff never to do it.”
Despite a ban on use of polythene in this town, its ubiquitous presence indicates how serious the Angul civic body is about environment, locals say.
PNN
