Hyderabad: Even as twin mountains of construction and demolition (C&D) waste have already risen near IKEA and Deloitte in Gachibowli, two more massive debris mounds have emerged behind Yashoda Hospital and Sindhu Hospital in Khanamet, highlighting the growing challenge of illegal construction waste dumping in western IT corridor.Towering almost as high as the adjoining hospital buildings, the two dumps are estimated to contain several lakh tonnes of construction debris. Together with the legacy dumps near IKEA and Deloitte, the four sites are estimated to hold more than 20 lakh tonnes of C&D waste.Apart from occupying valuable land, the debris dumps have become a major environmental concern. During windy conditions, particularly in the monsoon season, fine dust from the exposed mounds is carried into nearby residential complexes, office buildings and hospitals, affecting air quality and raising concerns over the health of residents, patients and healthcare workers in the vicinity.Officials said that while illegal dumping at the IKEA site was halted after the formation of the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC) earlier this year, the problem has shifted to other locations. Several smaller unauthorised dumping sites have since emerged across Gachibowli, Nanakramguda and Kokapet, where rapid real estate and infrastructure development continues to generate enormous quantities of construction waste.To address the issue, the CMC has initiated the process of scientifically reclaiming the major legacy dumpsites. Besides the two debris mounds near IKEA, the civic body has also included the Yashoda Hospital dumpsite in the proposed remediation project. Under the proposed plan, the selected agency will prepare a comprehensive strategy for clearing, processing and reclaiming the sites.
