Demand to shift dump yard grows shriller

Darushifa: With mosquito menace spreading fast in many parts of Old City, particularly which are close to Salarjung museum, the residents have blamed the GHMC garbage dumping yard located between Shivaji Bridge and Mahatma Gandhi Bus station. Notwithstanding that a part of it has been converted into a park, the mosquito menace has grown in menacing proportions, and the residents’ demand for shifting of one of the biggest dump yards of the area has now become shriller.

According to locals, GHMC garbage dumping yard on Shivaji Bridge (also known as Salarjung Bridge) is creating health problems to the persons who are residing near garbage dumping yard. “By 6 pm hoards of mosquitoes fly from this area to nearby residential areas. We the residents are facing health problems due to mosquito bites and continue to suffer a lot. Despite of several representations to shift the location of the dumping yard, the authorities have failed to respond and does not pay heed to the requests for resolving the issue,” said Rauf, a resident of Kalikhaber, near Darushifa.

Another resident Rakesh, who lives in Gowliguda, said that the dumping yard in the area has become notorious because of the emanating foul smell. The passersby find it difficult to cross the bridge at any given point of time. “This dumping yard is spreading the foul smell across the whole area. The garbage particles falling from the unguarded vehicles regularly fall off from the containers on all over the road and causing inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians as well. This is also resulting in sticky surface of the road, posing hazard to the motorists resulting in accidents. During rainy season, scores of motorists skidded off the road, but, luckily, locals rescued them and provided first aid,” he said.

Some others have blamed the increase in the number of mosquitoes in the area on stagnant water in the Musi river. It has been observed that because of the stagnant water, hyacinth and garbage dumped into the Musi river near Shivaji Bridge, there has been a rise in mosquito breeding, which has given rise to deceases like dengue in the recent months. Residents have requested GHMC to allot some representatives to take necessary action like allotting few more units of sufficient staff to stop this menace of mosquito breeding.

BY Syed Mujtaba Hussain Abidi