Swachh plan stuck in stinking sewer lines

Hyderabad: Nalas passing through residential colonies to finally flow into the lakes now carry all sorts of garbage along. Despite various attempts by the government to create a swachh city, public finds it much easier to throw the garbage in barren lands and open water bodies as the garbage collectors seem to be irregular.

Repeated requests by the local government bodies to fence and cover the nalas proven in vein. One such nala begins from Pedda Cheruvu near HMT nagar in Nacharam passing across various colonies flowing into Nalla Cheruvu at Uppal.

This stretch of Nala has been getting polluted for more than 3 years as the local residents have been throwing garbage into the flowing water body along with other empty plots. The open nala reeks along the way as it also carries dead animals along with abundant garbage. It was also observed recently that the water has been overflowing on the road making it difficult to travel for regular commuters.

Motilal Pathak (42), a resident adjacent to the nala flowing from under the road near Bharat Nagar Colony towards Chilukanagar said the nala has been stinking for so long that he is now used to the smell.

Though the hygienic conditions of the area have been depleting with the rise in garbage quantity, he explained that people yet throw the garbage right here every morning. “People passing by on a bike or a car just throw their garbage bags into the flowing nala on their way. Also, people residing nearby come early in the morning or later in the evening to throw garbage here” he said.

Another local resident said the people who come to pick up the garbage are irregular and sometimes the garbage piles up for days together before they come and collect it. “They charge Rs 50 per month which is reasonable to pay. But they are so irregular and casual about it that we have to find alternatives”, said Govind, a resident of Bharat Nagar colony.

The flowing garbage from this small channel adds up to the growing pollution at the main Nalla Cheruvu Lake which now reeks more than ever. Despite various attempts by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to create awareness among the public about the Swachh mission and garbage collection and segregation, the nala continues to get polluted.

Uppal Corporator Anala Reddy explained that various campaigns and awareness programmes have taken place in the area where GHMC officials with her have spoken to the public about the issue and its long term affects.

But she said despite the efforts, people continue to throw the garbage to avoid paying the irregular garbage collectors. “We have talked to the people several times now. Despite knowing that Rs 50 every month to the garbage collector will sort the issue, public wouldn’t want to pay a person who is irregular and casual about his/her job”, she said.

She further said that attempts to fence and cover the nala went vain. Also, she opined that people who collect the garbage lack regularisation by the government and hence they seem casual about it. Regularisation of such a job can add revenues to the government along with a permanent solution to the problem.

By Sasidhar Kocharlakota