CHENNAI: A special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slammed State authorities for failing to comply with its orders to keep waterbodies free of solid waste and encroachments. Pointing to the condition of Pallavaram Periya Eri and Sembakkam Lake, a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said disposal of waste at the Appur dumping site and its impact on the Pallavaram Periya Eri needs monitoring and legacy waste in the waterbody has to be bio-mined.
“Continued failure of the municipal corporation in performing its constitutional and statutory duties is against the right of citizens to clean environment and results in deterioration of health and safety of citizens which is expected to be a matter of concern of all authorities,” the bench said.The tribunal has directed a five-member joint committee headed by Additional Chief Secretaries of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department and Environment Department to meet within one month to prepare an action plan.
“The TN Pollution Control Board will be the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. The committee may update its proceedings on the website of TNPCB. The progress may be reviewed at least once a month. The committee may ensure availability of funds, if necessary, by raising it from local residents and augmenting the same from other stakeholders, including industries/institutions, operating in the area. The committee may also ensure restoration of waterbodies, freeing them from waste or encroachments,” the order said.
In its reply, the Pallavaram municipality said it has completed bio-mining to the tune of 1,08,000 cubic metres and the processed waste has been converted into refuse derived fuel and lifted. It has been estimated that 61,000 cubic metres of garbage could have accumulated below the ground level and a DPR has been prepared at a cost of `5 crore and submitted to the Director of Municipal Administration for approval. With regard to restoration of Periya Eri, the municipality said once bio-mining of existing legacy waste is completed, restoration work will be completed at the earliest.Calling the action taken by Tambaram Corporation authorities inadequate, the NGT also expressed disappointment over the status of Sembakkam Lake which was affected by illegal dumping of waste.
Based on data presented by the chief secretary, the tribunal said there are still huge gaps in management of solid and liquid waste in the State. In solid waste management, there is a gap of 5,685 TPD and in liquid waste management, the gap in treatment is 1,485 MLD. “The chief secretary may consider designating a senior nodal officer at the rank of additional chief secretary to assess the progress in bridging the gaps in sewage and solid waste management and establishing stock taking at district level. Existing and upcoming STPs need to have linkages with industries and other bulk users including agriculture/horticulture entities for using treated sewage. Legacy waste sites need to be remediated, and reclaimed areas must be utilised for setting up waste processing plants. More and more green belts/dense forests must be set up to mitigate the adverse impact of waste,” the tribunal said.