In Hyderabad, there has been an increase in the burning of chopped trees, garbage, and dumping in street corners. People have been complaining about garbage being burned in open areas in many neighborhoods. Even though the State government has banned this polluting practice, garbage burning continues to happen in the city.
The issue arises because municipal garbage collection vehicles do not pick up garbage regularly, so the corporation’s own staff ends up burning the accumulated garbage. Despite the fact that burning garbage is illegal and heavy penalties are imposed by the GHMC, both sanitation workers and residents are openly violating the rules.
Garbage burning has been observed in various areas across the city, including Kondapur, Miyapur, Manikonda, Gachibowli, Nagole, Uppal, Yousufguda, Balanagar, Amberpet, Kukatptally, Malakpet, Chaderghat, Santosh Nagar, Yakutpura, and others. Although the State government banned garbage burning in 2017 to address this issue, there has been no improvement in waste burning practices.
Mohammed Ahmed, a social activist, pointed out that burning garbage is a crime in Telangana and can result in a fine of up to Rs 25,000. However, due to the irregular garbage collection by municipal vehicles, the corporation’s staff takes matters into their own hands and burns the garbage. Ahmed also highlighted that recently chopped trees across the city were openly burned.
Activists have raised concerns about the health hazards caused by the black smoke emitted from burning garbage, which could lead to chronic ailments like cancer. According to the Telangana State Pollution Control Board, there is a penalty of up to Rs 25,000 for garbage burning. Activists are urging for strict implementation of this penalty, especially now that GHMC staff is involved.
Residents have also noticed that garbage contractors often dump bulk waste on unused roads and set it on fire after collecting it from apartments, such as in Miyapur. On social media platforms, netizens have raised the issue of burning garbage, but there has been no response from the authorities. Only after repeated complaints, the concerned GHMC circle responded by stating that the fire has been extinguished.
The accumulation of garbage on roads in various areas due to irregular visits by Swachh auto tippers and the lack of bins in the city has forced the sanitation staff to burn the garbage. Residents, like Venkateshwar from Saidabad, have expressed their helplessness and concern over the mosquito problem caused by the piled-up garbage.
In conclusion, the burning of garbage and dumping in street corners is a growing issue in Hyderabad. Despite the ban and penalties imposed by the government, both sanitation workers and residents continue to violate the rules. This practice poses health hazards and needs strict enforcement of penalties to curb the problem.
