Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Chemicals burnt at Kodungaiyur?

Kannal Achuthan

Chennai: Residents of Kodungaiyur in north Chennai are worried that garbage-burning in the locality is taking on new forms.

On Thursday evening, clouds of acrid smoke enveloped the area. “The smoke was so pungent that we suspect the garbage was doused with some chemical before it was set on fire,” said Ramachandra Rao, president of the Ever Vigilant Citizen’s Welfare Association. The fumes blocked visibility on the main road along the garbage dumping ground. Remains of the charred garbage could be seen even on Saturday.

The residents said in March, a panel of health and environment experts brought out a report stating that an air sample test at the dumping yard had revealed the presence of five cancer-causing toxins. The recent developments have made them even more anxious. The residents of colonies near the dumping ground have been campaigning for shifting of the site. Kannadasan Nagar, Krishnamoorthy Nagar, Ezhil Nagar and Rajarathnam Nagar are some of the colonies on the fringe of the dumping ground, and the worst affected.

“The smoke did not diffuse till 2 a.m. on Friday. The fumes were stronger than usual,” said Gowri Nagarajan, a resident of Kannadasan Nagar. The residents also complained of painful, scratchy throat.

Nagarathinam Pandian of the Bharath Welfare Trust took photographs of the fumes. But the haze was so dense that the pictures were blurred. The residents have sent a representation to the Mayor and the Chennai Corporation Commissioner.

The garbage is usually burnt by rag pickers, who set fire to the waste to collect scrap metal for recycling. The Chennai Corporation is taking steps to counter this problem. As an immediate measure, the Corporation has stationed a water tanker with sprinklers to put out the flames, Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said.

Additional streetlights and security have been provided near the dumping yard. Access has been restricted by a compound wall constructed along the front of the 400-acre dumping yard.

The Corporation is working on a long-term solution for a compost plant and a waste-to-electricity scheme to manage solid waste. Remediation of old garbage would be done through a mechanical separator.

Chennai generates about 3,600 tonnes of solid waste every day. About 2,000 tonnes find its way to Kodungaiyur and the rest is dumped at Perungudi. Although a solid waste source segregation programme has been proposed, it is yet to be implemented on a large scale.

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