COIMBATORE: It started with one, as it always does. Residents of Thadagam Valley recall how a single brick kiln started operations in the Valley in the mid-1980s. By 1990, the number doubled to two. These kilns were unlicensed, but also small in scale, producing about 1,000 bricks a day. Residents did not mind. But as nearby Coimbatore city developed, kilns mushroomed in the Valley, producing bricks to meet a growing city’s demands. It was only in 2014, however, that with growing availability and use of machinery did residents realise that things had gotten out of hand.
Unlicensed and unregulated, revenue department figures show 204 kilns now operating in the Valley, each capable of producing 2.5 lakh bricks a day with a staff of just 30. More bricks means more digging of the distinctive red sand in the Valley, causing, according to residents, an increase in pollution, human-animal conflict and loss of groundwater. This September, residents TMS Rajendran and S Ganesh filed a writ petition at the Madras High Court against the practice. Last week, angered brick kiln owners are alleged to have stormed into their houses to intimidate them, bringing the long-simmering issue to the fore. Unfortunately, for the residents, officials have been slow to act and now, with the issue capturing headlines, pointing fingers at one another.
The Valley
Thadagam Valley, situated along the Western Ghats, consists of five revenue villages — Chinna Thadagam, 24 Veerapandi Pirivu, Somayampalayam, 22 Nanjundapuram and Pannimadai. All of these villages, except for Pannimadai, fall under the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA). Hill area covers the land from where a hill slope ends to where the forest begins. It is a buffer zone between a hill and a plain. Any construction activity in these spaces requires HACA clearance. However, brick kilns in HACA villages as part of the Thadagam Valley are seen operating. They have caused huge variation in land due to the indiscriminate red sand mining.
Activists who have been protesting against the kilns point to a 2013 National Green Tribunal order stating that even in patta land, red sand cannot be dug up beyond 2 metres or 6.8 feet. In the Valley, red sand can be seen to have been dug up to 80 to 120 feet.
The impact
According to Dr R Ramesh of Kanuvai, who has run a clinic in Thadagam valley for over 24 years, health disorders related to lungs, pancreas, kidney and liver have increased among residents of the Valley over two decades. He also claimed, in his experience, there was an increase in number of patients seeing him about subcutaneous tumours, hemoptysis (the coughing up of blood), disorder of pancreas and livers.
“I am seeing these problems among a cross-section of people. The number of cancer cases has also been on the rise. Similarly there seem to be more diabetic patients in the Valley, than among those in other areas. I don’t know why there is a rise in diabetes given all the other problems are pollution-related,” he said. However, he referred to a study done among people living close to industrial Manali in Chennai as indicative.
On September 29, when members of the brick manufacturers’ association barged into the houses of Ganesan and Rajendran for filing the petition at court, Dr Ramesh’s clinic was not left out. “They barged into my clinic as well and as I was not there, threatened my staff,” he added. Deputy Director of Health Department PG Bhanumathi admitted that the department had received many petitions from the public about the health impact of brick kilns in the Valley.
“I asked the Primary Health Officer in Thadagam, Thudiyalur to observe if there is any variation in health of the people in the area. But, in the past month we have not seen any abnormal increase of patient footfall. If there are pollution-related problems, the Pollution Control Board is the right authority to take any decision,” she said.
Her response was typical for officialdom, which residents claim, has been turning a blind eye to the kilns. “At places falling under HACA, for any activity aside from agriculture no objection should be received from as many as 17 government departments. But for the brick kilns in Thadagam Valley, as per RTI replies given by Geology and Mines, Pollution Control Board, Forest, Revenue, Electricity departments, no clearances have been given. But, the brick kilns are functioning without interruption,” said Ganesh.
According to his petition, 2,500 hectares of land, including patta and government lands, were dug up by the brick kilns in the Valley. “Each brick kiln units has an investment of `3 to `5 crore for machinery. To transport the red sand, around 600 trucks are being operated. Every day, they transport a minimum of 8,400 loads of red sand for the brick kilns,” he alleged.
In the process, Velu Naicker, state secretary of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, alleged agricultural lands were being destroyed. K Ranganathan, a farmer from 22 Nanjundapuram, said the flow of rainwater was being disrupted. “With pits of a depth up to 100 feet, flow of rainwater from Western Ghats to villages through streams have been cut off. In the 1980s, we used to cultivate on my 3.5 acres of land by using water from a 150-foot well on the land. Now, I have put two borewells sunk to the depth of 1,300ft. Still, I am unable to get enough water,” he said.
K Mohanraj, an environmental activist, concurred. “The Valley sprawls under the Western Ghats. Naturally, it received heavy rainfall. But, due to red sand mining, the streams in the Valley which join with the Noyyal River Basin have been completely destroyed. Also, smoke from the kiln chambers is affecting rainfall,” he said.
“The deep pits made to mine red sand have caused wild elephants to stray from their corridor, resulting in an increase in human-animal conflict,” said Velu Naicker, adding that as many 176 check dams on water bodies in the Valley had disappeared due to low-level of rainfall.
The response
However, there are signs that officialdom may be slowly waking up. Following opposition from public and activists, the district administration conducted a special joint meeting comprising officials from various departments, activists and members from brick manufacturers’ association. The Revenue Divisional Officer of Coimbatore North R Suresh announced that a special team from Chennai would soon visit the Valley to conduct an inspection of mining by the brick kilns. However, political response has been subdued at best. This is because most members of the brick manufacturers’ association belong to one political party or the other, resulting in silence or defensiveness from even elected representatives.
According to P Dharmaraj, president of the brick manufacturers association and AIADMK functionary, everything activists said was untrue. “We follow rules. We pay `75,000 as a compound tax to mines department,” he said. He claimed officials had not questioned the business as it is a “tiny” industry. “But, we are ready to get permission from the concerned authority,” he said, claiming they had not known of HACA rules till now.
District Forest Officer D Venkatesh has written a detailed letter to Collector K Rajamani recently demanding he initiate action against red sand mining due to increase in human-animal conflict. He said the digging in Thadagam along the Western Ghats, was affecting wild animals, especially wild elephants who frequently fall into the deep pits.
“We have not given any permission to brick kilns. We have written about our concerns. The action should be taken from Geology and Mines Department,” he said. S Kalaiselvan, Regional Joint Director of Geology and Mines Department, also said the department had not given any nod to the brick kilns. However, he declined to comment on whether any action would be taken.