Waste woes: South Beach turns dumping yard

Kozhikode: Large amounts of slaughterhouse waste has been dumped in the South Beach near Gujarati Street in the City by those who have taken the contract for disposing the waste. The hoteliers nearby are also blatantly dumping waste during the day by collecting it in sacks and disposing it on the shore. Despite public complaints, the authorities have not yet taken any action. According to the residents, the dumpers pack the waste in sacks and bins and keep it in a building near the Beach. During the early hours of the day, these sacks are dumped indiscriminately on the Beach.

“Almost every day around 5 am, I can see some people carrying sacks to the shore and throwing the waste in the sea,” said Faris Rahman, a resident near the Beach. “When we tried to question them, they threatened us with weapons. So these days, nobody takes the risk of  challenging them,” added another resident who wished anonymity. The abattoir waste is also seen being dragged by the dogs along the beach.

Waste is kept in sacks inside the building to dump at seaSpeaking to Deccan Chronicle, Kozhikode Municipal Corporation Health Standing Committee Chairman K V Baburaj said the issue was serious and he had got many complaints. “Earlier, we had an inspection and the issue was somehow sorted out. But again this has emerged as a public nuisance and is posing a threat to the health and environment. We will definitely take strong action soon,” he added.