Residents of Vasai’s Pachubandar Road area are opposing the continued operation of a local garbage ground, alleging that wet and dry waste, sewage and drain silt are being dumped there despite permission being limited to organic waste. They say the accumulation has caused foul odour, mosquito breeding and smoke from recurring garbage fires.
The Pachubandar garbage ground in Vasai West was opened to collect fallen leaves generated after tree pruning during the monsoon and organic waste from nearby agricultural areas. According to residents cited by Loksatta, the site has increasingly received waste beyond the category for which it was intended.
Residents have alleged that municipal sanitation workers have been bringing wet and dry waste, sewage and silt from drains to the site without permission for the past two to three months. They also claim that repeated complaints about the dumping have not stopped the practice.
The reported change in the site’s use has increased the movement of waste-transport vehicles in the surrounding area, residents said. As waste has accumulated, garbage mounds have formed at the site and contributed to persistent odour in the neighbourhood.
Residents have also reported a rise in mosquitoes around the garbage ground. The complaint links the increase to the volume of waste being deposited and the conditions created by the accumulation of mixed material at the site.
The community has further alleged that unidentified people periodically set fire to the waste. Smoke from these fires reportedly enters the village and has caused health concerns among residents. The complaints specifically refer to the effects of foul odour and what residents describe as toxic smoke released when the accumulated garbage burns.
The dispute highlights the operational consequences of using a site designated for a limited waste stream to handle mixed waste, sewage and drain material. It also raises questions about how waste is being segregated, transported and monitored before disposal in Vasai West.
The residents’ opposition centres on keeping the garbage ground from continuing in its present form. The report does not include a response from the Vasai-Virar municipal administration to the allegations or details of any enforcement action at the site. Further developments will depend on the municipal authority’s response to the complaints and on whether the dumping and garbage fires are stopped.
