Lakkapuram panchayat dumps garbage on Cauvery river bed in Erode 

Residents demand effective solid waste management to be in place so that the river used by lakhs of people and farmers across the State remains free of pollution

When steps are taken to protect water bodies, Lakkapuram panchayat in Modakkurichi taluk dumps the garbage collected from households on Cauvery river bed, near Parisalthurai, here for many months.

As per Census 2011, the panchayat has a population of 9,739 with over 3,200 households.

Though the panchayat stresses on door-to-door garbage collection, inadequate battery operated vehicles and conservancy workers hit the garbage collection that force many residents to dump garbage along the roads and set it on fire causing air pollution.

Earlier, the garbage thus collected was dumped on land near the railway track and was segregated. But, due to opposition from the local residents, in the last few months, the collected garbage is being dumped everyday on the river bed.

Waste, mostly plastic, was burned regularly causing air pollution. Thousands of vehicles, including two-wheelers, use the Outer Ring Road that connects Kokkarayanpettai in Namakkal district with Thindal in Erode.

“Smoke from burning garbage affects road users,” said V. Manickam of Mullamparapu. Residents said garbage dumped in the last few months was washed away when the river was in spate in August this year.