Garbage dumping sites in Jalandhar raise stink, pose a health hazard

Aparna Banerji

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Jalandhar, August 2

When commuters pass by a government school, right near Nakodar Chowk, they wince. The smell, at its worst, is akin to a putrefying cadaver and at its best it smells like tonnes of vegetables gone bad, emanating a horrifying stench. Further up, between Leather Institute and Guru Ravidass Chowk, another horrible stench nauseates commuters, this time from a nearby slaughter house, which gets particularly nasty in the summers.

Additionally, near Silver Heights Apartments (adjacent to Wadala Chowk), an empty plot has been turned into a hideous garbage dump, which has become a favourite garbage dumping site of residents living nearby looking for a short-cut to littering.

Dumps greet residents

Almost every key public spot is riddled with mounds of litter. There is a dump between near the MC office, at the Civil Hospital, and between the offices of two prominent newspapers which are located right across the Suvidha Centre.

As the dengue season approaches its peak in mid-summer, the so-called ‘smart city’ of Jalandhar is turning into a virtual nightmare for residents with thousands of undesignated garbage sites riddled with tonnes of waste providing city residents with their daily dose of infuriating stench coupled with an already nasty level of air pollution.

Fit case for disease outbreak

Flies and stray dogs hover around roads. Garbage often spills onto the middle of the road. With water accumulating at these sites after rains, it’s a fit case for disease outbreak. Sprays and fogging can’t do anything in areas where garbage is a perennial problem. Kanika Seth, Gurunanak Pura resident

The irresponsible behaviour of residents coupled with administrative apathy is making the city unliveable.

Almost every key public spot is riddled with mounds of litter. There is a dump between near the MC office, at the Civil Hospital, and between the offices of two prominent newspapers which are located right across the Suvidha Centre.

There are huge dumps at Model Town near cremation ground, Ladowali Road, Partap Bagh, Guru Nanakpura, Plaza Chowk, Chugitti and under DAV College Flyover, among other areas. Almost every college and school has a dump somewhere near them.

SUVs and swanky cars can often be seen discarding their fast food wrappings in the middle of the road.

The garbage mounds (and incessant traffic) are the anti-thesis to bountiful greens thriving after plentiful rains in the summers so far.

Boota Pind resident Usha Sharma said: “It is impossible to walk down the road due to the stench from the dump near Silver Heights. Further up Ravidass Chowk and Nakodar Chowk, the smell is hideous. Daily commuters are affected by the stench, which is a direct invitation to diseases amidst rains.”

Gurunanak Pura resident Kanika Seth said: “Flies and stray dogs hover around roads. Garbage often spills onto the middle of the road. With water accumulating at these sites after rains, it’s a fit case for disease outbreak. Sprays and fogging can’t do anything in areas where garbage is a perennial problem. Water from toxic plastic wastes also seeps down, threatening groundwater contamination.”