CHENNAI : The muffled recording studio seems to simultaneously absorb and amplify all sounds. Seated at the console, RJ Giri Giri cheerfully converses with environmentalist Arun Krishnamoorthy from the Environmental Foundation of India. As a part of the Independence Day celebrations, Giri is hosting a 72-hour podcast on ‘Freedom from plastic’, and is also discussing the impact of plastic waste on the city with guests and professionals.
“This Independence Day, we wanted to go with the idea of being free from something, so we decided to speak about the evils of plastic. I spoke to experts about this issue, and came to know how bad straws are for the environment, and the amount of unnecessary plastic we use when we go for grocery shopping,” said Giri, who is hosting his podcast from August 13 to August 15. On air, Krishnamoorthy and Giri discussed the impact of plastic on water bodies in Chennai.
According to government data, the Greater Chennai area produces around 5,000 tonnes of plastic per day, but Krishnamoorthy estimates that whole of Chennai produces about 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste per day. This waste goes into regulated and unregulated dumping sites and affects human health.
“There is a chemical called leachate, which is produced when plastic and other non-degradable wastes are exposed to heat. It is washed away with rains and then penetrates into the groundwater. This poses a huge threat as every house or apartment in Chennai has a borewell,” said Krishnamoorthy. He explained that the groundwater levels were also being permeated by salt water. He recommended people to take an inventory of all items they use in a day, and see how many plastic items could be substituted or reduced. This is the first step in reducing an individual’s plastic waste, he added.