Stir against Deonar dumping ground
Chembur-Ghatkopar residents to go on hunger strike today…GEETA DESAI
Residents of Chembur and Ghatkopar (east) have decided to go on a hunger strike on Monday near the Chheda Nagar flyover demanding closure of the the 110-hectare Deonar dumping ground, which has garbage that stretches up to seven storeys. Residents nearby allege that they suffer from bronchitis, asthma or lung fibrosis due to the stink and smoke from the dump.
Until now, we were agitated because garbage from all over the city was dumped here but now we find even bio-medical waste is being incinerated here. This is injustice. Why is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) not finding an alternate site to dump the citys garbage? says Dr Neelam Rane, vice-president of Smoke Affected Residents Forum (SARF).
As per an affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court, the BMC was to install a Garbage Recycle Unit within a year. Even the police had promised to set up a chowky outside the Deonar dumping ground within a year following a high court order. Both promises were made 11 years ago and yet to be fulfilled, she alleged.
Dr Kumar Doshi, consultant pulmonologist and local resident, says, The quality of air here makes people vulnerable to respiratory diseases. It is equivalent to passive cigarette smoking. Over time, patients stop responding to drugs as they develop resistance to medicines.
Dr Kumar Doshi, consultant pulmonologist and local resident, says, The quality of air here makes people vulnerable to respiratory diseases. It is equivalent to passive cigarette smoking. Over time, patients stop responding to drugs as they develop resistance to medicines.
Many residents have shifted to other areas after losing family members to respiratory diseases.