KARIMNAGAR: Karimnagar is engulfed in a thick blanket of smoke after fresh fires broke out at its main dumping yard near Kothirampur and along the Peddapalli Bypass Road, exacerbating an already severe air-pollution crisis.
The Karimnagar Municipal Corporation’s primary waste site, now brimming beyond capacity, reignited late on Sunday, sending dense plumes across the city by dawn. Commuters on Hyderabad Road, Auto Nagar, Sadashivapalli and beyond reported visibility reduced to a few metres, while residents in Alugunur, Kothirampur and Housing Board Colony struggled with burning eyes and breathing difficulties.
Each day, some 120 tonnes of refuse arrive at the yard. In 2023, a ₹16.5 crore bio-mining project under the Smart City initiative began here. Municipal figures claim 90,000 tonnes have been processed; independent consultants put the figure at 63,000 tonnes — of which 45,000 tonnes deemed usable were diverted to cement factories, only marginally freeing the site.
Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, addressing a recent function on the Peddapalli bypass, urged the district collector to relocate the dump immediately, warning of its “dire impact on public health and the environment.” “When the wind shifts, we can’t stay outside for a minute,” said Kothirampur resident N. Suresh. “Our eyes burn red, and no one seems to care.”
Municipal commissioner Chahat Bajpai told Deccan Chronicle that fire crews, water tankers and Disaster Response Force units are deployed around the clock to douse flames. An alternate site near Kothapally village was identified but met with local opposition. Bajpai added that a planned water-energy plant near Huzurabad — currently under government review — could offer a permanent solution once approved.
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