Bio-medical waste dumped near women's hostel at Osmania University

Hyderabad: Osmania University’s 1,300-acre campus has become a convenient dumping yard for medical waste, construction debris and garbage.

A culvert adjacent to the women’s hostel there is one such dumping site where hundreds of empty vials of vaccines for diseases like hepatitis, diphtheria, chicken pox, rotavirus and measles are dumped.

Along with these vials lie used needles and syringes right beside the road which passes adjacent to the culvert. In the same location, heaps of construction debris, household plastic as well as biodegradable garbage are seen. Sewage water which stagnates near the culvert makes things more unhygienic.

This is just one location easily visible, but there are many more there on the campus where waste is dumped in heaps. When contacted, the varsity’s estate cell and security officials feigned surprise although the culvert is located close to the administration office and security personnel say they conduct regular patrolling in the campus.

The culvert is located close to a gate which leads to the Jamia Osmania railway station and is used by many people to enter and exit the university campus. An estate cell official said the university was planning to close the gate which would also help in controlling the dumping.

More steps are required. A security personnel said, “The university has just around 27 permanent security personnel and around 25 temporary staff for the purpose. It is impossible for such a small number of staff to keep an eye on the entire campus which has many entrances and exits.”

Women hostellers protest

PG final-year students from the OU women’s hostel blocked the main campus road demanding water and power supply. Traffic was affected on the Vidyanagar-Tarnaka route and traffic had to be diverted.

Students said they had no water for three days. Power supply snapped on Sunday and had not been restored in many blocks. Final-year student E. Sunitha said their exams had started on Monday. “Hostel officials did not arrange alternative lighting,” she said.

Student D. Anusha said that they had to wait for water in the morning which ate into their preparation time. “Officials supply water in the morning and the evening for one hour which is not sufficient for 3,000 students. The problem has worsened in the last fortnight,” she said.