MP Demands Relocation of Toxic Dump Yard in India

Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender will undertake a padyatra from October 27 to demand the relocation of the Jawahar Nagar dump yard. Citing a report by UCLA Law School, the MP said that the dump yard ranks fourth globally in methane gas production and described it as highly alarming. He said that the dump yard, originally established for a population of just 2 lakh, is now receiving all the garbage from a metropolitan city with a population of over 1.6 crore. He said that the groundwater within a 25-kilometre radius around the dump yard has become completely toxic, and poisonous winds are causing lung and skin diseases within a 30-kilometre radius. He alleged that poor people who earn a living by selling vegetables and working in houses are forced to spend every single earned paisa on medical treatment. He lashed out at the government, stating that although prestigious institutions like IIT Bombay have provided cutting-edge technology for waste management, the government has failed to utilise it. He demanded that the government respond immediately and relocate the dump yard from that location. The MP has announced a special action plan which involves a special local meeting with the ‘victims’ of Jawahar Nagar on October 23, a round-table meeting with intellectuals and environmentalists on October 25 and the padyatra from October 27.