Dec. 16: Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee fled her temporary home in the Tiljala area of Calcutta because she could not bear the stench from the nearby tanneries any longer.
But where would the residents of Paschim Boragon run? Ever since the Guwahati Municipal Corporation shifted its dumping ground from Sosol, the residents had to live with stench, houseflies and filth.
The corporation has finally woken up to the problems faced by the residents of the area and is spraying Baytex and DDT to keep the stench down.
A GMC source said the disinfectants would be sprayed at regular intervals. “The medical officials of the corporation were directed to spray the chemicals at least twice a week,” the source said.
He said the steps were taken after a three-member committee formed by the high court recommended spraying of pesticides during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) on the health hazards the dump was posing to the residents of the area.
The residents of the area said they had to move court after various representations to the corporation fell on deaf ears.
Pragjyotish English Medium School is also situated near the dumping ground. It was becoming increasingly difficult to run classes because of the stink.
The dumpsite is also barely a kilometre away from the international wetland site of Deepor Beel.
A study conducted by the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology under the Union department of science and technology last year found that water percolating through solid wastes has polluted the nearby waterbodies, which are connected to Deepor Beel.
The institute had cautioned that contamination of Deepor Beel would have grave consequences as the waterbody is home to a large number of migratory birds, including many rare species.
The study highlighted the fact that the dumping ground is situated close to human habitation, which could create health hazard for the residents that the area has become a breeding ground of cockroaches and mosquitoes and other pests, which can transmit diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue and encephalitis.
