CHENNAI: A joint committee appointed by the Southern Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) recommended a penalty of Rs 48 lakh on three village panchayats – Muttukadu, Navalur, and Padur – in Chengalpattu for failing to comply with Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM), 2016.
The NGT had constituted the panel after TNIE published a series in October-November last highlighting how illegal landfills cropped-up along the Muttukadu backwaters (flowing through the limits of these three panchayats) and septic tankers dumping raw sewage into the waterbody.
An analysis of water samples collected from the backwaters revealed that the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) in them did not meet any water-quality standard prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the presence of coliform indicated that pollution was primarily due to discharge of untreated sewage and leachate from the municipal solid waste dumped along the banks. A detailed report had been submitted by the committee before the Bench recently.
The committee found that the local bodies did not implement the SWM rules. It may be noted that the Supreme Court and the Principal Bench of NGT had set March, 2020, as deadline for all local bodies to comply with SWM rules. So, the committee recommended slapping an interim environment compensation of Rs 1 lakh a month from April, 2020, to August, 2021, on each of the three panchayats.
The committee report, available with TNIE, also found encroachment of government poramboke land along the waterbody. At Egattur village, a realtor encroached on a parcel of land and laid a tarred road with street lights. A private semiconductor material firm and a shrimp hatchery have made similar offenses. Sources that said the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Revenue Department have initiated action against the violators.
Besides, the joint committee has made a slew of recommendations with fixed timelines for the village panchayats to comply with. These include ensuring 100 per cent collection of solid waste generated in compliance with SWM rules within six months, avoiding the dumping of solid waste along the waterbody, establishing a micro-composting centre within six months, providing decentralised community soak pits at vulnerable locations within three months to prevent the entry of sewage into the backwaters, and providing a sewage treatment plant within a year.
The PWD was asked to help revenue officials evict the encroachments within six months and give directions to the State government to implement a scheme to restore the Muttukadu backwaters after conducting a detailed study, the report said. The NGT has posted the case for consideration of the report to September 30.
What officials say
Muttukadu, Padur, and Navallur panchayats together generate about 10-15 tonnes of garbage every day. It is collected and stored at a temporary yard near to the Muttukadu backwaters. Once in every 15 days the collected municipal solid waste is transferred to the garbage depot at Kolathur panchayat for further treatment
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