TIRUNELVELI: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has instructed Tirunelveli corporation to remove solid waste from the entire stretch of the Tirunelveli Canal and Palayam Canal of the city, based on a complaint filed by an activist.
In a letter dated August 11, district environmental engineer S Suyambu Thangarani said the corporation should remove solid waste from the two canals and take necessary steps to prevent the dumping of solid waste inside the canals as per the Solid Waste Management Rule 2016. "After taking action, the corporation should send the photographs of the cleaning work to the complainant," said Thangarani.
Activist SP Muthuraman, in his petition attached with photos, said Tirunelveli and Palayam canals have been turned into a dustbin of the corporation. "All kinds of solid wastes, including human faeces, are directly discharged into these canals. As a result, residents are facing various health issues," he said.
The activist further said TNPCB is hesitating to take legal action under the provisions of The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. "In 2015, the Public Works Department wrote a letter to the corporation raising the same demand. However, for the past eight years, the corporation has not taken any steps to clean these canals. I am going to file a PIL before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court soon in this connection," he added.
On August 4, TNPCB instructed Vikramasingapuram municipality to remove the clothes discarded in the Thamirabarani River based on Muthuraman's complaint.