Cattle waste menace rising in Uttar Pradesh

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Published on November 5, 2020 by

Residents complain about rising number of ailments due to the accumulation of cow dung in the area. They say that their complaints fall on deaf ears.

Kanpur:  Sharda Nagar residents find themselves in the middle of a health and cleanliness crisis. Accumulation of cow dung on the road side is the main concern in addition to people falling sick due to the ever increasing pile of cattle excreta.

Mr. Shubham S., manager at Starbucks explained how he used to see the cattle owners who happen to be his neighbours, dump the cow dung daily on the roadside. He suddenly developed fever  that he initially ignored thinking it was just a viral fever. On the advice of the local doctor he got tests done which revealed that he had dengue. The local doctor he referred to, Dr Yeriswamy H. said  the daily piling pileup of cow dung is a health menace. “The unchecked cattle waste dumping has resulted in mosquito breeding due to which there is a surge in mosquito borne diseases in the area. The cow dung accumulation can also lead to other bacterial diseases amongst the residents,”, he said.

The house helpers have similar woes. Komal Sanger, who works in the house right next to the cowshed said that not just the bad odor but the cows themselves have become a daily problem. She says, “Every day the mosquitoes bite me and the smell makes me nauseous and often makes me sick. Because of the smell I often don’t feel like working. Daily when I come to the house I see the cows roaming on the road. They have often chased me. I have complained to the cow owners but they don’t pay heed.”.

The residents have tried complaining to the officials of Kanpur Municipal Corporation as well but have faced disappointment. Mrs. Anindita S., a homemaker laments how her constant complaints were repeatedly ignored. “I had a registered a complaint with ‘online UP CM complaint’. They sent officials from Kanpur Nagar Nigam who came but didn’t do any satisfactory work. On complaining again, they refused to even acknowledge the complaint.”  Similarly another resident of the area Mr. Tapan Kumar who is a retired business man stated how the strong odour makes him sick every other day. He also said that during the rainy season, the sewage gets blocked due to the cow dung. He too has complained about the issue thrice but hasn’t received any response, neither from the officials, nor from the cattle owners.

There are no specific rules about stray cattle and their waste management in Uttar Pradesh. Due to which people often have to settle for an agreement within the societies.

However, despite these problems, the residents do not lose hope after the officials admit to the lapse at their end with a promise to clean up the area regularly. The solid waste management official at Kanpur Municipal Corporation  V. Devadas says, “We are aware of the complaints that have been filed and not been attended to. There are several complaints regarding various issues from different areas. Our officials are now working tirelessly on it. We will deliver results soon. ”

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