CHENNAI: A car parked at Subham Nagar in Tirusulam is coated by a layer of grey dust with streaks of its red body showing only through the path rain drops have dripped. Intense dust pollution has become a common household problem for thousands of residents of Tirusulam, who live near dozens of rock-crushing units that produce manufactured sand, known commonly as M-Sand.
Scarcity for construction and rise of M-Sand
The rock crushing units had populated the foothills of the Tirusulam hillocks when blue metal was quarried and crushed into small rocks used in construction. Even as quarrying was put to halt by a ban laid by the Madras High Court in 2012, the units continue to function till date.
Thanks to the shortage of construction sand in the State, production of M-Sand from powdering rocks has becoming a blooming business over the last few years. While officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said that about 55 industries operate in the area, residents claim that there are at least two dozens more.
Mani Maran*, a petty shop owner who has lived in lived near Moovarasanpet Main Road in the area for over five decades, sells everyday supplies to locals. He sits behind a counter that is lined with glass jars containing biscuits and candies, each covered with a layer of dust. He keeps the shutter of the vending counter half-closed at all times, to reduce the dust accumulation in the shop.
Maran said that the industries and people co-existed peacefully until a few years ago. "The rock-crushing units, have existed since I was a teenager. However, in the last decade, many of them switched to producing M-Sand. Since then, this area has been invaded by dust; Slowly at first, then too much suddenly," he said.
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Dust everywhere
Amman Nagar, Shubam Nagar, Sami Nagar, Ulaipali Nagar, Rani Anna Nagar, parts of Old Pallavaram and areas in the neighbourhood are worst affected by the dust generated by these industries. As the industrial units powder rocks, residents often spot plumes of dust dispersing. "Whenever a complaint is risen, they humidify the machinery and the produced M-Sand to prevent it from flying around. However it only lasts a few days and the problem starts again," rued Sasi Kala* a resident of
Subham Nagar.
Moovarampet Main Road, along which several crushing units are located, is still a dirt road and continues to be very poorly maintained. When Express visited the road on Wednesday, after a short spell of rain, the road was layered with inches of fine gray marshy sand. While cars, two-wheelers and autos struggled and skidded over the slippery broken road, large lorries carrying rocks and sand plied comfortably over it.
"The pollution from the lorries is another major problem in the area. Everyday, trucks and lorries keep passing in front of houses blowing a lot of smoke and causing traffic. But residents barely speak about it because M-Sand dust seems to be the bigger villain here," said K Kunasekaran*, a resident of Amman Nagar.
Afraid to complain
An old man in a turban, who was walking on the road, stopped and forced his way in front of the cellphone camera of this reporter. Without using any words, he signaled a stop sign, preventing any photograph of the Blue-Metal crushing unit. "We are scared to complaint loudly about the dust problem. Since many of them in the neighbourhood are employed with these industries, the word gets around fast. They (industrialists) are powerful and large in number. We can do very little about this air pollution," said Sasi Kala, a resident of Subham Nagar, speaking in whispers.
A group of residents interceded, when Express was interacting with locals and said that, "only people with own houses faced the problem of dust pollution." Hailing from Salem, Radhika* migrated to Chennai after her husband found a job at one of the rock crushing units. She works as a watchwoman at the same unit and earns Rs 2,000 a month.
She lives in one of the many cramped 8ftx8ft block type single-room settlements, built by the industries. "Our livelihood depends on these industries," she said. Many labourers and their families, like Radhika, function as watch-keepers, preventing locals from freely voicing their complaints loudly. Residents fear that industrialists may intimidate them if they complained.
Respiratory problems and health complications
He added that Tuberculosis and wheezing has become extremely common in the area. "Cough and cold is very very common among children and senior citizens," he said. Women in the neighbourhood said that they were dealing with the double whammy of air pollution. "We not only have to inhale this air, but we have to dust our windows and household objects almost everyday. Even if we keep our windows closed, the dust somehow sneaks in," complained K Saritha*, another resident of Amman
Nagar.
She observed that problem was less rampant during rainy seasons as the rain humidifies the raw materials and the machinery, but peaks in summers when the air is dry. "Whenever there are winds in summer, you cannot walk on the street without dust getting in your eyes," she said.
Vels Vidhyashram, a CBSE school that operates near Subham Nagar, like other educational institutions in the area, has also been a victim to the suspended dust. The flooring in the school appears faded and dusty when Express visited. "Many students developed coughing and wheezing because of the dust. Parents have repeatedly filed complaints with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)," said Ishari K Ganesh, the chairman of Vels Group of Educational Institutions, on a phone call. The school however was built only a few years ago.
Speaking to Express, D Sekar, the Member secretary of TNPCB, acknowledged that the Board has received several complaints about the dust pollution caused by the M-Sand units. "We are in the process of setting up a committee to investigate the issue and we will give recommendations to the industries accordingly," he said. Several local supervisors at the rock crushing units denied the allegations and refused to comment further.
*Names changed