CHENNAI: An illegal underground pipeline, allegedly laid for discharging waste into the sea, has been found at Panaiyur Periyakuppam near Cheyyur coast in Chengalpattu district, prompting an inspection by the police, fisheries and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials on Thursday.
The pipeline, estimated to run about 50 metres from the land towards the sea, is suspected to have been laid recently for dumping industrial waste into sea with the alleged involvement of a few villagers. The officials are investigating whether tanker lorries, including vehicles registered in other states, used the pipeline to discharge waste into the sea.
According to information shared by the people in the locality, a tanker allegedly arrived around 2 am and discharged waste before leaving the area. There were also unconfirmed reports that two or three tanker lorries had been there near the site. However, the officials said they had not yet established the identity or registration numbers of the vehicles involved.
The officials told TNIE some tanker operators had paid a few people in the area to facilitate the laying of the pipeline, adding it could not have been laid without some degree of local knowledge or assistance, given that the area is a fishing village where the movement of outsiders is generally noticed.
The issue came to light after residents and persons associated with nearby hatcheries reportedly noticed a foul smell and movement of tanker lorries in the area. The information was subsequently brought to the attention of the fisheries department and district administration.
The officials from the fisheries department, TNPCB and the local administration visited the spot on Thursday to inspect the pipeline and ascertain whether waste had actually been discharged into the sea. TNPCB officials were also asked to examine the site and collect water samples to determine the nature of the suspected waste.
Chengalpattu Collector M Veerappan told TNIE the administration would remove the illegal pipeline and investigate the incident. “We will also investigate what was dumped and who was responsible,” the collector said.
Officials said the immediate priority is to establish whether any waste had been discharged and identify its source. They are also examining how the pipeline was laid without being detected earlier.
The absence of CCTV coverage in the coastal stretch could make it difficult to establish the identity of the tanker operators. The officials said vehicle registration details circulating locally, including claims that the vehicles were from Maharashtra or Gujarat, had not been independently verified.