The company will stop waste disposal activities in the afternoon

In view of the prevailing scorching temperatures, the Erode Corporation has decided to stop waste collection in the afternoon and change the working hours for conservation workers till May 31.

On May 2, temperatures in the district rose to a maximum of 44 degrees Celsius, which is 5.2 degrees Celsius above normal.

The company employs 475 permanent employees and 1,010 temporary workers at all 60 stations in the four zones to collect and separate municipal solid waste, drain sewers and sweep bus stops and market areas. They are currently in operation daily from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. However, due to the increasing heat, the company has decided to stop work in the afternoon hours.

According to a health official, working hours were extended by one hour in the morning from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., while work was stopped altogether in the afternoon. “Only the staff responsible for cleaning bus stands and market premises will remain on duty in the evening,” an official said. In addition, workers are given buttermilk and kambam koozh (pearl millet porridge) at the end of their morning shift to help them cope with the heat, he added.

The official explained that a decision to extend the afternoon work stoppage beyond May 31 would be made based on the conditions prevailing in June.