Summary:
When people consume food infected by flies, they are prone to all sorts of infections. Due to shortage, people procure water from leaking pipelines. If the source is close to garbage heap, the chances of contamination are high,” he added.Aquil ur Rehman Siddiqui, a professor at Bhagwan Pharmacy College, expressed fears that the waste lying everywhere in the city can lead to an outbreak of cholera, leptospirosis or other communicable diseases.“Houseflies that facilitate mechanical transport of bacteria have increased due to the waste. Aurangabad: An epidemic threat is looming over the city as tonnes of waste lying at street corners and processing sites is exposed to the rain, say experts.Moreover, citizens ignoring segregation of waste at source is obvious as the civic body has not yet been able to come up with any substantial strategy to tackle the crisis.Physician Anant Kadethankar said that pathogens thriving on waste can come in human contact through wounds and feet and can lead to headaches, muscle pains and fever, all symptoms of leptospirosis.“Apart from mosquito and housefly breeding, the waste can cause contamination in the drinking water. The municipal corporation should spray DDT powder over waste to control pathogen and flies,” he said.Heaps of mixed waste lying at the central and decentralised processing sites show that municipal corporation never walked the talk, let alone preparing for the monsoon.In addition, the civic authorities have closed the city’s sole dry waste recovery centre at Central Naka, leaving the waste exposed to rainwater.Sacks of dry waste lying near the AMC office and in other zones speak volumes about the apathy or helplessness of the civic authorities.Mohammed Nasir, a resident of Buddi Lane, is of the opinion that many residents don’t seem to be keen on segregating waste at source, mainly because the civic body doesn’t process it.The city has been facing an unprecedented waste crisis for over five months after the inhabitants stopped the civic body from dumping waste in their backyard..