THOOTHUKUDI: It has been six months since the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) directed the civic bodies of Thoothukudi corporation and the Thoothukudi union to remove solid wastes dumped near Rajapalayam cemetery at Mapilaiyoorani village panchayat, but no action has been taken yet, allege residents of Rajapalayam.
According to the residents, the solid wastes generated by parts of municipal corporation areas and Mapilaiyoorani areas — Thalamuthunagar, Sameer Viyas Nagar, Nehru colony and Kamaraj Nagar — are being dumped in a large pit spanning over 10 acre, existing along the road near Rajapalayam cemetery, for several years. The site is hardly 200 metre away from the seashore and it is surrounded by salterns, they said.
A resident Michael Anto Geenious said a few decades ago, sand smugglers illegally lifted sand for many years which has left a large pit as deep as 10 feet from the ground level. In order to level the pit, the locals and the civic bodies dumped the waste into it, he added.
However, as it became a large pit, it started filling up during heavy rains. “As Thoothukudi region received a good spell of rain in the past few years, the groundwater level had risen in the region, and the water stagnated in the dump yard had not dried yet even during the summer season,” the resident added.
Edison Prabu, another resident, said due to the stagnated water in the dump yard pit, many wells in the region have a foul smell. Apart from causing environmental hazards, it has been the breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies, he worried.
Further, the salt pan workers pointed out that the plastic wastes and polybags from the dump yard fly into the salt pans and disrupt the water flow. Whenever the discarded waste is lit, the smoke billows over, and the dust particles get deposited on the salters causing pollution, the workers said.
Following repeated complaints from Mapilaiyoorani residents, TNPCB’s district Environmental Engineer S Sathiyaraj held an inspection at the site last August and found the complaints to be true. Subsequently, on October 16, 2021, the environmental engineer directed the Corporation Commissioner and Block Development Officer (BDO) to carry out biomining of the already dumped municipal solid wastes and also to shift the fresh wastes to the composting centres for segregation in line with the Municipal Solid Wastes Management Rules, 2016.
In an RTI reply dated March 22, the Public Information Officer of Thoothukudi corporation said the civic body had stopped dumping wastes near Rajapalayam cemetery and had initiated biomining of the solid wastes. However, the residents in the vicinity of the dump yard told TNIE that the wastes were not yet removed and the civic bodies had not begun the biomining process. Despite repeated attempts, the Mapilaiyoorani panchayat president Saravanan did not respond.
When contacted, a senior TNPCB official told TNIE that the department would impose a fine against the civic bodies which are responsible for dumping the waste. The fine amount of several lakh would be collected until the waste is cleared as per the environmental pollution rules, he added.
Meanwhile, an official attached to a temple nearby said the land which has now been converted into a dump yard belongs to a Sivan temple in Thoothukudi.