Residents complain of waste burning on Noyyal river bund in Vellalore town panchayat

The dumping and burning of municipal solid waste on the Noyyal river bund in Vellalore has left residents complaining of persistent smoke and difficulty in breathing.

Saranavanakumar, a resident of Vagai Nagar in Vellalore town panchayat, said waste was being dumped and burnt along the river bund, with smoke affecting the locality throughout the day for the past month.

“The smoke makes it difficult to breathe and has become unbearable. Residents of Sri Nagar and Vaigai Nagar are affected, besides regular commuters using the Vellalore road. We have been facing this continuously for the past month,” he said.

A senior official of the Vellalore town panchayat said the local body had been seeking suitable land for establishing a proper waste-management facility for nearly 25 years. The panchayat had sought five acres from the Coimbatore Corporation for the purpose, but the Corporation had recently sanctioned only one acre on a rental basis.

“The space available is not sufficient for effective waste management. We are segregating the waste into wet and dry waste, and the dry waste is being sent to cement factories,” the official said.

The official said the panchayat would look into the complaint regarding the burning of waste at the site.