COIMBATORE: Residents have petitioned the Coimbatore district administration alleging that the Malumichampatti panchayat has been dumping garbage in a waterway along the Eachanari–Chettipalayam Road, causing serious sanitation and environmental concerns.According to residents, a water channel classified as vaari poramboke is located near a railway gate on the road. A check dam is situated around 200 feet from the waterway. However, the panchayat has set up an illegal garbage dumping yard directly in the water channel, according to A Robert, a resident.He said the panchayat has been dumping waste at the site for more than three years, resulting in contamination of water flowing to the check dam as well as groundwater in the area. Residents said the dump yard caught fire 10 to 15 times every year, creating thick smoke that affects nearby residents and causes respiratory problems.They also complained about the odour and declining water quality. Robert said though they had submitted petitions to the district administration and the chief minister’s special cell several times in the past three years, no action had been taken. V Eswaran, president of the Marumalarchi Makkal Iyakkam, who has submitted a petition to the district collector, said nearly 13 feet of garbage had been dumped in about two acres of the waterway near Zion Nagar, where around 200 families reside.He urged the authorities to immediately remove the garbage yard from the waterbody and direct the panchayat to identify a proper site for waste disposal and manage it in accordance with solid waste management rules.“About five tonne of garbage is generated daily, and waste generated by the panchayat only has been dumped at this site. However, as residents have now raised objections, and based on the district collector’s advice, appropriate steps will be taken to address the issue,” an official at the Mathukarai union office said.
