Chennai's IT hub turns into huge garbage dumpyard

New Delhi: For residents living close to Chennai's Perungudi, a breath of fresh air is a rare privilege. Cocooned in their homes with windows tightly shut, they try to forget about the absolute mess right outside their homes courtesy over 200 acres of land filled with tonnes and tonnes of garbage.

The area - right in the middle of Chennai's IT hub - is not just a sore sight for residents here but also poses a massive risk to their health and general well-being. "The area behind our apartments is filled with garbage. There is not just waste as far as the eyes can see but also waterlogging," says Prakash Rao - a resident. He also adds that there have been instances of snakes coming into residential areas from the garbage site.

Sajeevan, another resident,  "Two seasons here bring two kinds of problems. In summer, they burn the garbage and the smoke is brought in by the winds into our homes. In winter, the garbage decays and there is a pungent smell which is again brought in by the winds. We can't even keep our windows open."

Interestingly, the Chennai Corporation has used the area as a landfill for years and close to 3000 tonnes of garbage from all over the city is dumped here daily. A WION report quotes an official from the corporation as saying that recycling of the waste will begin soon. "The plan is in the finalisation stage and the corporation will reclaim landfill space by dumping blocks of compacted, historic waste on top of one another."

Till the time the plans actually materialise at the ground level however, locals will continue to be at risk.