Mounds of garbage across Mahilpur pose serious disease risk as sanitation workers continue strike
Hoshiarpur /Daljeet Ajnoha/May 19
Mounds of garbage across Mahilpur pose serious disease risk as sanitation workers continue strike
Hoshiarpur /Daljeet Ajnoha/May 19
Piles of uncollected garbage across Mahilpur are emitting foul odours and creating a grave risk of disease spread after sanitation workers began their strike, local Labour Party leader Jai Gopal Dhiman warned on Monday.
Residents said the summer heat has accelerated decomposition inside plastic-lined heaps of household waste, causing stench and making it difficult to pass by many areas. “This filth is more dangerous than a silent atom bomb,” Dhiman said, accusing the Punjab government of double standards and of failing to assess the situation promptly once the strike began.
Dhiman warned that the warm weather is encouraging rapid growth of harmful bacteria in the waste heaps, which can contaminate the air people breathe and potentially spread viruses. He said these microbes are microscopic and can quickly affect organs such as the lungs, posing a particularly severe threat to those who work near or live close to the dumping sites.
The Labour Party leader urged the health department to immediately write to the state government to ensure sanitation staff return to work as soon as possible. “Does the government only listen when people resort to strikes or protests?” he asked, criticising what he called the government’s token claims about a “plastic-free Punjab.”
Dhiman added that the foul gases and stench from the refuse are affecting the environment and making life difficult for residents and shopkeepers, with breathing becoming difficult in some localities. He said sanitation workers have been protesting for more than a week and accused the Punjab government of deliberately ignoring their demands. He warned that the continuing filth could trigger an outbreak at any time and held the state government fully accountable if any such incident occurs.
He appealed to the public to support the legitimate demands of sanitation workers so normal cleanliness can be restored in the town.
