CHENNAI: In a blatant violation of environmental norms and solid waste management rules, Athipattu panchayat has dumped tonnes of municipal solid waste inside a mangrove area thereby contaminating the ecologically sensitive Ennore wetlands, which are already in a degraded state due to encroachments and fly ash dumping by thermal power plants.
Based on a petition pertaining to the dumping of waste, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently directed the panchayat to immediately stop the dumping and remove waste from the area within two weeks. The tribunal also directed the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority and Tiruvallur district administration to ensure compliance and submit a report within two weeks.
TNIE visited the site and it was evident that the area was rich in mangrove cover and the waste had piled up on top of young mangroves. All kinds of municipal solid waste were seen strewn over a large area. Some portion of the waste also entered the nearby Ennore Creek. The dumping of waste in CRZ areas is prohibited and the CRZ-1 area, which is made up of environmentally delicate places such as mangrove swamps, is entitled to the highest level of protection under the CRZ notification.
S Kumaresan, a resident of Kathivakkam, said the panchayat had started to dump the waste inside the floodplains about a month ago. There is photographic evidence of panchayat vehicles bringing the waste and dumping it at the site. “On July 15, I tried to stop the dumping of waste and brought the matter to the notice of authorities, but no action was taken,” he said. Hence, Kumaresan filed a petition before the southern bench of the NGT.
Kosasthalaiyar River
The areas where the waste was dumped fall within the area marked as Coastal Regulation Zone-1 (CRZ-1) in approved 2018 Coastal Zone Management Plan. Site is part of the floodplain of Kosasthalaiyar River, which is a tidally influenced waterbody