COIMBATORE: Solid waste management norms have been breached by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) at the civic dumpyard at Vellalore.
A Right to Information (RTI) reply received by social activist KS Mohan, Secretary of the Kurichi-Vellalore Pollution Prevention Action Committee, has revealed serious lapses by the civic body in managing solid waste.
The CCMC has allegedly failed to comply with repeated directives from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to prevent fresh waste dumping and clear over 9 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste.
According to the RTI documents, the TNPCB, acting on CPCB orders, issued 15 directions to the Corporation to ensure proper disposal and remediation of waste at Vellalore. However, activists allege that the CCMC continues to dump mixed waste at the site, showing little progress on implementing the Board's instructions.
An inspection carried out on July 2, 2025, by officials from the TNPCB's Coimbatore South Division, CPCB, and CCMC, following a directive from the National Green Tribunal (South Zone), exposed alarming irregularities.
The report noted that Coimbatore generates around 1,100-1,200 tonnes of solid waste daily, with 950-1,100 tonnes collected through door-to-door systems. While the Corporation claims 90% segregation at the source, the waste arriving at the Vellalore facility was found to be mostly unsegregated.
Officials also found that several Micro Composting Centres (MCCs) and biogas plants were non-functional, resulting in an additional 25 tonnes per day of unprocessed waste being dumped at the site. The Leachate Treatment Plant (LTP) was found to be in poor condition, with untreated leachate forming stagnant pools and seeping into the ground. Tests on borewell and open-well samples from nearby residential areas showed high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), chlorides, and hardness, along with BOD and COD contamination, indicating groundwater pollution from the dumping ground.
The TNPCB has issued fresh directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, ordering the Corporation to ensure 100% waste segregation, upgrade treatment facilities, prevent further dumping, and fast-track biomining and bioremediation of legacy waste. The Board also instructed the CCMC to construct garland drains around the landfill and treat leachate properly to prevent further groundwater contamination.
Social activist Mohan criticised both the civic body and the PCB for negligence. "None of the directions imposed by the TNPCB have been implemented. The Corporation continues to dump fresh waste at Vellalore, and the TNPCB has failed to take any stern action against the CCMC," he said.
Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said, "Through the second phase of biomining works at the Vellalore dump yard, we have so far cleared over 1.7 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste from the facility. By October 2026, we plan to clear 7.9 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. A detailed project report (DPR) for setting up an additional bio-mining facility is being prepared and will be sent to the government for approval. Once approved, bio-mining will be further intensified to clear more legacy waste."