Civic bodies burn unsegregated garbage on roadsides near Kumarapalayam, residents say

NAMAKKAL: Sanitation workers in Kumarapalayam municipality and surrounding panchayats in Namakkal district allegedly dump household waste on roadsides -- including the sides of the Erode-Chennai National Highway -- and set it on fire without segregating it, causing severe hardships to residents.In panchayats such as Agraharam, Elanthakuttai and Thattankuttai near Pallipalayam, garbage collected from houses and meat shops is dumped in large heaps on roadsides in residential areas without proper segregation and then set on fire, residents say. They say burning of waste like this causes eye irritation and respiratory problems for them. The smoke reduces visibility for drivers of vehicles, according to them.Residents have submitted petitions to officials of local bodies urging them not to dump waste on roadsides and in residential areas. They have urged the officials to stop burning garbage without segregating it. “Officials told us that there was no place to dump waste. They said if residents selected a site, the local bodies would dump the garbage there and segregate it,” said V Arun Kumar, a resident.