Residents have appealed to the Udhagamandalam Municipality Commissioner (UMC) to act against guest houses and residences that illegally dump waste along the Ooty Lake.

Residents state that a number of guest houses that are operating in the area dump waste along the Deer Park road and in reserve forests surrounding Fern Hill. “Many residents continue to dump waste in the open, despite door-to-door collection improving over the last few months. These people are dumping the waste inside reserve forests as it is an isolated stretch of road with very little usage by the public,” said R. Lakshmi, a resident of Avalanche Road.

G. Janardhanan, president of the Ooty Public Awareness Association, said the dumping of waste threatens wildlife in the area, including Sambar deer and Indian gaur, that are regularly spotted along the Deer Park and North Lake Road.

“The UMC must clamp down on the residences as well as the guest houses illegally dumping waste in the area,” he said. A few locations were known to officials to be used for open-dumping. “These need to be monitored with CCTV cameras so that people dumping waste can be identified and fined,” he said.