The Hindu : Smokeless-Bhogi campaign pays off

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 15, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Smokeless-Bhogi campaign pays off

By Akila Dinakar

HUDDLED TOGETHER: Confused by the smoke from burning waste, cows move to the middle of East Coast Road at Neelankarai near Chennai. — Photo. N. Sridharan

CHENNAI Jan. 14 . Thanks to campaigning by the Government and NGOs, Bhogi, agrarian festival, was celebrated with less smoke this morning.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, which inaugurated an intensified campaign a few days ago against burning tyres and plastics for Bhogi, had over 50 staff members in 14 teams, touring all the 10 zones of the Chennai Corporation.

R. Ramachandran, Additional Chief Environmental Engineer, said the campaign began after 11 a.m. and the teams highlighted the disadvantages of burning anything, not just tyres and plastics.

"At several places at Ayanavaram, Perambur, Nungambakkam and Aminjikarai, once we told several persons burning mats, wood, paper and other garbage not to do so, the people doused the flames with water," he said.

The city police patrol teams went around the zones telling the public to put out the flames, and rounded up people who indulged in burning tyres and plastics.

Police said more than 200 persons were picked up for burning tyres and plastics.

The TNPCB engineers said that while the burning was considerable in south Chennai, the air was clear in parts of north Chennai such as Vyasarpadi, Perambur and Washermanpet where there was usually a thick smog on Bhogi in the past.

A resident of Old Washermanpet, pointing out to the clear sky in the vicinity even at 7 a.m., said: "this proves the success of the campaign against burning waste".

An autorickshaw driver passing through the Corporation dumping ground near Basin Bridge, pointing to the burning garbage, asked: "The authorities are rounding up small boys for burning, but who is to stop this largescale burning that takes place everyday?"

At Park Avenue in Anna Nagar West, even as the TNPCB and the Ambattur Municipality patrol autorickshaw was passing by, the roadside garbage being set afire went unnoticed, a resident said. The TNPCB officials said that contrary to the usual scenario, the pollution levels in north Chennai was much lower than in the south where in areas like Indira Nagar, Kotturpuram and Thiruvanmiyur, the levels were very high.

G.S. Thangaraj, Deputy Director, Laboratory of the TNPCB, said monitoring was done in seven areas including Anna Nagar, Vallalar Nagar, Royapuram, Besant Nagar, Kilpauk, T. Nagar and Vyasarpadi. The sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide were well within the permissible limits.

There was a drastic reduction of the total suspended particulate matter and respirable dust particles over the recordings last year.

Pongal mela

The Punjab Association celebrated Lohri and Pongal Mela at the Anna Adarsh College.

S. Surjit Singh Sahney, a functionary, said Lohri, like Bhogi, was an annual thanksgiving celebration for bestowing with crops and a traditional festival of bonfire, fireworks.

The bonfire was offered with sweet, groundnuts, popcorn, sugarcane, chivda and diluted milk. Bharat Bhushan Goyal, president, and other members lighted the ritual bonfire. Students of Anna Adarsh College and School presented a cultural show.

Alternates to burning were also part of the day's celebration at Champangi Street in West Mambalam where a kolam competition was held instead. The students of the Velankanni Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kodungaiyur, took out an awareness rally on the harmful effects of plastics.

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