Bhopal: Adampur Chhawni trenching ground makes life hell for villagers

BHOPAL: The Adampur Chhawni trenching ground has turned into a disaster for the villagers around. Not only the underground water table is polluted but also the air surrounding it.

Though it has been over two years since the landfill site was transferred from Bhanpur to Adampur, none of the development works promised by the district administration have been completed. As the huge quantity of waste is being dumped there, the villagers have been demanding that the water quality be checked.

There is more trouble. The road towards the site passes through villages and due to movement of vehicles owned by Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), the area has developed potholes and is dug at several places. The situation becomes worse during rain. The area was chosen by the civic body for development of a waste to energy plant, but that too could not materialise.

The villagers have staged protests several times demanding that site be covered to stop the foul smell emanating from there. As the road towards the site is not built of concrete, it becomes difficult to walk during rain, says Suresh Kumar. The underground water table also gets polluted during rain, he says.

The drinking water is not safe here, says the village head. Ramesh Sahu, husband of village head of Dobra Jageer, said villagers had raised demand for water quality check and the officials of public health engineering (PHE) had collected samples from Kolua Khurd village but the report is yet to be released. He said the drinking water from hand pumps have changed colour, which is unfit for use. “Neither the waste to energy plant has been developed. Nor has any step been taken to relieve us of the foul smell,” Sahu remarked.