TIRUPPUR: Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials on Friday collected water samples for testing from nine locations in the abandoned quarries in Mudalipalayam and Nallur areas, amid growing public outcry to declare the areas as contaminated sites. The residents claimed that a major portion of the garbage collected in Tiruppur Corporation was being dumped in the abandoned stone quarries. Meanwhile, TNPCB officials called the water sample collection a routine testing process carried out before and after every monsoon season.
In April, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in a reply to an RTI query, mentioned the Mudalipalayam-Nallur quarry area as a suspected contaminated site. The residents on Thursday accused the district administration and the TNPCB of delaying action to declare the area a polluted zone, despite the CPCB recommending an investigation into the matter in February.
Following the collection of water samples on Friday, a senior official from the TNPCB said, "This is merely a rotation-based sample collection, as it rained recently in Tiruppur and the surrounding areas." The official did not elaborate, mentioning that the matter is sub judice.
Another TNPCB official, who visited the spot on Friday, said, "We routinely collect and analyse the water samples on a pre-monsoon and post-monsoon basis. Prior to this, we collected and analysed samples in these areas in September 2025. As the monsoon is about to set in, we have collected water samples for analysis," besides mentioning that the case is being heard in the court.
Around 573 tonnes of garbage are collected daily in the 60 wards of the Tiruppur Corporation, with a huge portion being dumped in the said areas. On October 10, 2025, the Madras High Court banned the dumping of waste in stone quarries, based on a case filed by P Velusamy, Coordinator of Nallur-Mudalipalayam Environmental Protection Committee.
However, the residents are claiming that the groundwater and the terrain in the areas have already been polluted by the waste being dumped. P Velusamy told TNIE, "The court has issued various instructions to the corporation in this matter. However, the corporation did not carry out any of the work properly. That is why we urge the TNPCB to declare the Mudalipalayam-Nallur abandoned quarry site as a contaminated site. The board must provide us with the test results of the samples collected."
