Hyderabad: Residents of Siddapur in Kothur mandal began a relay hunger strike on Oct 4, demanding cancellation of GO 641, which ratified the establishment of a solid waste management facility on 86 acres in the village.
Protesters said the agitation would continue until govt withdraws the order.
G Vijay, economics professor at University of Hyderabad who has researched Kothur for nearly three decades, said, “When you are generating massive waste from urban areas, why should farmers, tribes and rural areas bear the brunt of handling that waste? Describing the issue as one of environmental injustice, he said, “We do not systematically separate wet and dry waste, nor do we really separate biohazardous and other kinds of waste,” warning that pellets made from mixed waste could carry contaminants and that their storage and processing could create risks of emissions and leaching. The villagers, highlighting their concerns, said, “Land values in the area could fall drastically and future generations could find it difficult to access clean air, water and food. “The surrounding agrarian economy could be particularly vulnerable to pollution; a decentralised waste management approach is needed rather than concentrating facilities in one location,” Pinapaja Prabhakar, convener, Siddapur Dumping Yard Anti-Struggle Joint Action Committee (SDVP JAC), said.
A representation submitted to the Ranga Reddy district administration has also raised concerns over the facility’s proximity to agricultural land, groundwater sources, forest and wildlife corridors, tribal habitations and an existing LPG pipeline. It has sought a site-specific scientific assessment before any construction, processing or waste handling begins.
“While the Congress party, in its national campaigns, has been talking about social justice, representation and empowerment of backward sections of the society, this is a very contradictory policy approach,” JAC representatives said. “To protect the privilege of the urban consumer, you can’t be targeting the have-nots at the bottom of the hierarchy in the economy,” they added.