Hyderabad: Poor sanitation in residential areas is a major cause of vector-borne and water-borne diseases in the city. Due to the lack of proper sanitation, many cases of viral fever have been reported. The situation in Hyderabad has become alarming, with piles of garbage collecting on the streets.
Residents have been asking the civic body to clean up the garbage, start fogging, and carry out sanitation drives, but their requests have been ignored. Many areas in the city have not seen regular garbage collection. The condition in the Old City has become even worse because of the unhygienic surroundings.
Several localities, such as Khairatabad, Nampally, Malakpet, Santoshnagar, Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Somajiguda, Filmnagar, Shaikpet, Tolichowki, Kukatpally, KPHB, Begumpet, Ameerpet, Secunderabad, and the entire Old City, have been affected, with garbage left unattended by sanitation workers.
Jaishankar, a resident of Begumpet, said, “People cannot walk or drive on roads because of the foul smell. The roads are filthy, and when it rains, many motorists even skid.”
Activists pointed out that the garbage left on the roads produces a terrible smell, making life difficult for people who deal with this daily. Mohammed Ahmed, Vice President of the TDP Minority Cell, explained that even though the civic body, GHMC, takes steps during the monsoon to improve sanitation and stop mosquito breeding, the problem continues. The main challenges are the management of garbage and drainage systems, which become breeding grounds for mosquitoes when not taken care of for days.
Ahmed also mentioned that GHMC officials are misleading citizens who report these issues online. Even though there are platforms like the GHMC App, online grievance systems, X (formerly Twitter), and a helpline, once people report problems, they often remain unresolved but are marked as “cleared” by the officials. This misleads not only the residents but also higher authorities like ministers, the Mayor, and the GHMC Commissioner.
He stressed that GHMC officers are not doing their jobs properly and are deceiving both citizens and their superiors. While claiming that issues have been fixed, it is clear they have not. Meanwhile, the District Medical and Health Officers (DMHOs), in collaboration with GHMC officials, started a special drive on Thursday to conduct anti-larvae operations to prevent the spread of chikungunya.
