Garbage piles choke Hyderabad streets amid incessant rains

Garbage piles across Hyderabad have raised health concerns after sanitation workers of Ramky Enviro Engineers went on strike. Though the strike has ended, heaps of waste remain in several colonies, prompting RWAs to issue advisories on disease prevention.

Hyderabad: Garbage piles have become a common sight across the city this monsoon, spreading foul smell and raising health concerns among residents.

Amid the incessant rains over the last fortnight, the uncleared wet garbage has been accumulating on the streets in colonies and on major stretches.

Several neighbourhoods, including main markets and residential areas, are affected by the waste, causing inconvenience to commuters and raising health concerns.

GHMC Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation) CN Raghu Prasad said over 2,500 sanitation workers of Ramky Enviro Engineers had gone on a flash strike for the past two days, demanding a hike in salaries. “As a result, garbage lifting activity was halted completely. Now, the strike has been called off, and lifting has resumed,” he said.

In Netaji Nagar near Erragadda, garbage has piled up, blocking almost half the road, forcing commuters to pass through the stretch amid foul smell. “For the past week, we have been facing severe foul smell, posing a health risk,” said Prakash Chandra, a resident of Netaji Nagar.

Another stretch between ESI Metro Station and AG Colony near Ayurvedic Government Hospital saw garbage blocking nearly two-thirds of the road near Vikaspuri Colony Park, causing significant inconvenience to commuters. Between AG Colony and Rajiv Nagar Colony, heaps of garbage remain on the main road.

In Alwal, a stretch between MG Nagar and Sai Reddy Colony has seen waste, stale food bins and other garbage accumulate over the past week. Residents said they reported the issue to GHMC but no response was received.

Raghu Prasad said around 18,000 sanitation workers from GHMC were engaged in daily sweeping. However, the problem arose after Ramky workers, responsible for lifting garbage from garbage vulnerable points (GVPs), went on strike.

Meanwhile, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have issued advisories to 4,500 RWAs across Greater Hyderabad through social media, outlining measures to prevent diseases as the trash crisis continues to affect the city.