Copyright thehindu
For more than six decades, the Lalur trenching ground in Thrissur was a grim reminder of Thrissur city’s waste management crisis — a dumping yard where unscientific waste disposal choked the air, poisoned the soil, and polluted the water. Today, around 14 acres of the same site has been reborn as the I. M. Vijayan Sports Complex — a ₹46.5-crore , state-of-the-art facility set to be inaugurated on November 3. “It was our 25-year-long fight that forced the Thrissur Corporation to finally stop dumping waste at Lalur,” recalls T. K. Vasu, leader of the Lalur Malineekarana Viruddha Samara Samithy, the people’s collective that spearheaded one of Kerala’s longest-running environmental protests. “For years, we asked — why should the helpless Lalur residents suffer for the garbage produced by the city? Our children were falling sick with asthma and skin diseases.” The Lalur struggle began in the late 1980s, when mounting heaps of garbage from Thrissur city began to suffocate the once-green village. The people’s relentless agitation reached a turning point in 2012, when the Corporation finally decided to stop dumping waste at the site. But the battle was far from over. ‘Live volcano’ Even after the dumping stopped, mounds of rotting waste continued to haunt the residents. During rains, filthy water from the garbage heaps would seep into nearby houses, contaminating the wells. In summer, the dump yard would catch fire, filling the air with toxic smoke. “The Lalur dump yard was like a live volcano,” says Mr. Vasu. “It hid fire in its belly. The waste generated inflammable gases and caught fire again and again. The worst fire was in 2015 — it burned for almost a week.” The Kerala Pollution Control Board had long declared the groundwater around the site unsafe for use. Agricultural activity had become impossible. Yet, the people refused to give up hope. In the years that followed, several plans were proposed to clean up the area, including the Lalur Model Project (LAMP), which focussed on decentralised waste management and composting. Biomining was later introduced to reclaim the land. Large volumes of non-biodegradable waste removed from the site. Despite challenges posed by the remaining waste, construction of the I. M. Vijayan Indoor Stadium began in 2019. The transformation of the once-toxic dumping ground into a vibrant sports hub stands as a triumph of perseverance and public spirit. The sports complex will include a synthetic track, football court, indoor stadium, swimming pool, and pavilion gallery. In its second phase, facilities for hockey and tennis will also be added. Redemption for Lalur For the people of Lalur, this is more than just an infrastructure project — it is redemption. After decades of being branded as the city’s dumping ground, their village will soon echo with cheers, not protests. “I am deeply honoured and grateful to have a sports complex named after me,” said footballer I. M. Vijayan. “I was once called the ‘Diamond in the Garbage’ by former DGP M. K. Joseph. Like me, this complex too has risen from the garbage. It’s a symbol of hope — and it will give young talents in Thrissur a real chance to shine.” After decades of protests, pain, and pollution, Lalur has finally found its new identity — not as Thrissur’s backyard of waste, but as a field of dreams.
