Erode's Garbage Crisis: Open Dumping Defies Warnings

Despite repeated warnings and the installation of signboards, open dumping of garbage continues unabated in several parts of Erode, raising serious concerns for the Corporation. The city's 60 wards generate a considerable amount of daily waste from over 1.69 lakh residential properties and 27,000 commercial establishments.

While the civic body collects waste using 122 LCVs and processes about 60 tonnes of biodegradable waste into compost daily at 22 micro-composting centers, a segment of the population bypasses these services. Residents and shopkeepers are dumping waste on streets and into stormwater drains, causing blockages and escalating sanitation and health risks.

Officials have identified 240 garbage-vulnerable points and placed notices, but plastic waste, constituting over 60% of the open dumping, frequently chokes drains. The limited success in curbing this practice is attributed to poor public cooperation, with conservancy workers constantly advising residents against improper disposal.