Farmers in TN's Dharmapuri raise alarm over dumping of medical waste in farmlands, waterways

Chennai, June 12 Farmers in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district have raised serious concerns over the rampant and illegal dumping of medical waste in agricultural lands and irrigation canals.

They have appealed to district authorities and the health department for urgent intervention, fearing both environmental contamination and serious health hazards to local communities.

In a district where agriculture is the primary livelihood, the discovery of used syringes, bloody bandages, medical vials, and other hazardous biomedical waste in farmlands and roadside water bodies has triggered panic among farmers.

Several incidents have been reported over the past few months, but little action appears to have been taken.

Kannan Vijayaraghavan, a farmer from the region, said he first came across red bags marked “biomedical waste” about a month ago. “They were dumped directly into the canal that supplies water to the Thenpennai river. I pulled the bags out of the water, but when I requested the local panchayat sanitary worker to help dispose of them, he refused,” Kannan said.

“I was also warned not to burn the waste, as it could release toxic chemicals. Several other nearby fields are similarly affected. This issue demands urgent administrative action,” he said.

Selvaraj, a farmer from Somannahalli, shared a similar experience. “I found used syringes, blood-stained cotton, and vials scattered across my land. I didn’t know how to safely dispose of them, so I ended up burning the waste. But it’s extremely dangerous. Children often play in these fields, and many elderly people walk along these paths. The situation is a ticking time bomb.”

While the farmers have repeatedly raised concerns, local officials claimed they were unaware of the issue.

A health department official said that biomedical waste collection in Dharmapuri is managed by a private contractor based in Salem. “We have not received any official complaints so far, but we will initiate an inquiry,” the official added.

Similarly, local police confirmed that no formal complaint has been lodged by the affected farmers.

With no safe disposal mechanism in place and no immediate response from authorities, farmers fear the problem may escalate. They have urged district administrators, the pollution control board, and the health department to act swiftly before the contamination spreads further.

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