Burning of municipal solid waste at Chinniyampalayam in Coimbatore continues to pose a health hazard

Residents of Chinniyampalayam and commuters travelling along the arterial Avinashi Road in Coimbatore are forced to breathe noxious smoke of burnt plastic and other waste materials due to frequent burning of municipal solid waste.

The source of the smoke is a dumping site of the Chinniyampalayam panchayat, located around 50 metres off Avinashi Road, where garbage is being burnt even in the broad daylight.

Residents, who live close to the dumping site, say that they have become accustomed to the burning, adding that the panchayat has been following it as a garbage disposal method for several years.

When the wind blows in the north direction, the noxious smoke spreads to two major hotels and a few shops on Avinashi Road. Further, the smoke also poses potential danger to aviation security as the dumping site is situated right along the takeoff and landing path of Coimbatore airport’s runway, where aircraft fly at a very low altitude.

“Burning of waste is very frequent at the dumping site. If any of the residents ask, panchayat staff attribute it to accidental burning. But it happens repeatedly and poses a health hazard,” said a resident of the panchayat.

Senthil Babu, a regular commuter on the route, said the toxic smoke from the dumping site is often suffocating for motorists, especially two-wheeler riders.

Sources in the panchayat said that the local body was struggling to dispose of garbage, due to a lack of proper solid waste management facilities and adequate space.

The burning of garbage had also come to the attention of the Airport Authority of India, and the issue had been discussed in meetings of the Airfield Environment Management Committee.

District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar promised to look into the open burning of waste by the panchayat and get the issue rectified. He also said waste management facilities of peri-urban panchayats will be evaluated.