The Chennai Corporation’s move to set up a solid waste management (SWM) plant in Kuthambakkam may cause drastic damage to the city’s major drinking water source, Chembarambakkam, say residents of Kuthambakkam.
Ilango, a social worker and founder of Trust for Village Self Governance, Kuthambakkam, said, “The proposed site for the SWM plant is a residential area and grazing land. Also, it is one of the main water catchment areas, through which around 31 cascade lakes overflow from Perambakkam to Chembarambakkam lake. Nowhere in the world is an SWM plant set up upstream of a water body. The particular site was proposed by the last regime for the same cause.”
In 2007 the then government decided to set up an SWM plant in Kuthambakkam. The 100-acre land of survey number 820 / 1C was chosen for the plant and, without the consensus of the panchayat, the government acquired around 66 acres of land and transferred it to the municipalities of Ambattur, Maduravoyal and Valasaravakkam among others.
In 2008 an inspection committee appointed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board visited the proposed site and gave a report. “In 2009 through an RTI to TNPCB we came to know that the report of TNPCB’s own committee said the site was not suitable for establishing an SWM plant,” said Ilango.
With the RTI reply as proof Kuthambakkam Panchayat moved the Madras High Court in 2010 against the plan and the verdict directed both the panchayat and the municipalities to go for an Environment Impact Assessment. It also noted, “Before taking action under Section 134 (3) of the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, the concerned panchayat should be consulted”, which added strength to the panchayat’s stand.
TNPCB gave a Rapid Environment Impact Assessment (REIA) Report done by a private agency in June 2010 and based on this report a public hearing was conducted. The panchayat made counter points to the REIA report at the meeting. Considering the points made by the panchayat, the EIA returned the project to the municipalities. During the elections in 2010 those municipalities were absorbed into Chennai Corporation and the plan was abandoned.
Now the present government has proposed setting up an SWM plant in Kuthambakkam through the Corporation and ground work has started for this . Based on news reports about the revival of the SWM plant, the grama sabha of Kuthambakkam panchayat conducted a meeting and passed a resolution opposing the Corporation’s move.
“It is known that the waste that will be dumped here is not segregated waste. So it can affect the Chembarambakkam lake due to the leachate water processing in the SWM plant. The dumping of waste will also affect the ground water table and in the near future make it toxic. So we appeal to the government to consider our pleas,” said Ilango.
When contacted, the panchayat said no officials from the Corporation had contacted them in this regard.