Waste accumulates as locals protest dumping at Ramna

Varanasi: The city is suffering insanitation woes as the municipal waste has not been transported to the dumping site in Ramna locality for last four days.
The villagers of Ramna are protesting against dumping of garbage after heaps of garbage caught fire causing thick smoke in the area for many days. The municipal authorities, however, claimed that the fire was extinguished and the transportation of waste will start soon.Meanwhile, municipal wastes have been accumulated in different parts of the city and is waitinge to be disposed.
"We are trying to sort out the things as early as possible. Administrative officials have been asked to take appropriate steps to end the deadlock and smooth transportation of garbage to the dumping site," mayor Ram Gopal Mohaley told TOI on Wednesday. He said the fire spread at the dumping site has been extinguished and efforts are on to convince the local residents. He admitted that over 2000 MT municipal waste has been accumulated in the city due to non-transportation. The city generates about 600 MT municipal waste every day.
The waste dumping ground spread in an area of 85 acres is situated adjacent to Ramna village on the outskirts of the city. Earlier also the dumping site witnessed fire outbreak in November 2014 affecting the environment of Ramna and other adjoin villages. The villagers had protested against dumping of waste then too. Later, they allowed waste dumping in April 2015 when municipal and district authorities convinced them that proper boring will be done at the site and wastes will be burnt in a way that there is no smoke causing health hazards. The dumping site at Ramna is a temporary arrangement after solid waste management plant at Karsara was closed owing to dispute between the Varanasi Municipal Corporation and the company engaged for waste collection and disposal.
The villagers said the area mostly remains enveloped by smoke coming from burning of waste. A local resident Rajkumar Yadav said stench coming from waste has made life miserable in the village.
Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 states that the landfill site should be away from habitation clusters, but contrary to the rule the landfill site at Ramna is surrounded by several villages including Ramna, Dafi and Seer. According to the rule, wastes subjected to land filling should be compacted in thin layers using landfill compactors to achieve high density of the wastes and it should be covered immediately or at the end of each working day with minimum 10 cm of soil, inert debris or construction material till waste processing facilities for composting or recycling or energy recovery are set up. But, no such arrangements have been made here, said the villagers.