Lakkapuram panchayat dumps garbage along Erode-Karur road as it has no permanent disposal facility

Unable to identify a permanent facility for scientific disposal of solid waste, the Lakkapuram Village Panchayat in Modakkurichi taluk has begun dumping household waste near the Erode (East) Regional Transport Office on Erode–Karur Road (SH-84), drawing criticism from residents and motorists.

According to the 2011 Census, the panchayat has a population of 9,739 and over 3,200 households across 12 wards. The local body has for years struggled to find a suitable facility for scientific processing and disposal of municipal solid waste.

The panchayat has shifted its dumping ground several times in recent years. For months, waste was dumped on the Cauvery riverbed near Parisalthurai. Following reports in The Hindu in 2022, the dumping ground was shifted to a vacant parcel near the railway track. However, the move was abandoned after residents objected, prompting the panchayat to use a burial ground along Karur Main Road.

As waste gradually occupied the burial ground, leaving little space for burials, residents staged a protest. Following talks with officials, a portion of the burial ground was earmarked for waste disposal. The arrangement has continued for over three years. During this period, the panchayat also transported accumulated waste to the Erode Corporation’s dumping yard at Vendipalayam on several occasions after obtaining permission from the civic body.

The waste, however, has remained uncleared for the past six months, resulting in large heaps, more than half of which comprise plastic. With road-widening work under way between Solar bus stand and Gatepudhur, conservancy workers have recently begun dumping the waste along the roadside, marring the appearance of the busy State highway.

Pazha. Muralidharan, a resident, said the panchayat could not afford to transport waste to the Vendipalayam facility, resulting in its accumulation. Instead of shifting the dumping ground from one location to another, the authorities should evolve a permanent solution, he said.

He also said a compost yard established near the Kalingarayan Canal remained idle because of opposition from neighbouring landowners. Making the facility operational would go a long way in addressing the waste disposal issue, he added. Another road user questioned how the panchayat could ensure sanitation while dumping waste along the roadside. “Officials and workers responsible for this should first be taught civic sense,” he said.

When contacted, officials said efforts were under way to identify a permanent solution and added that the dumped garbage would be cleared.