Kodingayur gasps for breath as city turns it into dumpyard

Residents plan forum to chalk out measures for decentralized waste management schemes

Express News Service

Chennai:

More than six lakh people are gasping for breath in Kodingayur as the city dumps its waste on a vacant land that has been allegedly earmarked by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority as a place for institutional purposes in its second master plan.



More than 4,000 ton of city’s waste is dumped in the 450 acres of land. “The city has 10 zones of which seven zones are piling in the waste here,” says N S Ramachandra Rao, president of Ever Vigilant Citizens Welfare Association and a resident of the area for the last 30 years.



Rao, who has been waging a war against the alleged illegal dumpyard, said, “As per the second master plan the site was earmarked for 'institutional' purposes but it is now being used as a dumpyard.”



“If it is not stopped now then the dump yard will suck out our lives,” he says.



Even the Perambur MLA A Soundararajan concurs with his view. “I stay nearby and understand the problems faced by the residents. Even Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa did an aerial survey of the dumpyard and has also announced to make the city garbage free. This has filled us with hope,” he said.



Interestingly, the residents along with an international voluntary organization, working on garbage management, will organize a conference to help Chennai choose from a range of working options for decentralized garbage management schemes initiated in different parts of India.



Dharmesh Shah of Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance (GAIA) and noted environmentalist Nityanand Jayaram said that in October a day long conference will be held to provide suggestions to civic administrators in Tamil Nadu. “It will showcase progressive waste management initiatives from different cities in India, and around the world,” said Shah.



Surprisingly, there were also several initiatives by the government but it failed to see the light of the day as it failed to get the clearance of Union environment ministry.



“If solid waste management is introduced in the area, we could save huge tracts of land as only 20 acres of land will be required to fill the waste in the pits,” said Soundararajan.



The waste is currently burnt in the open resulting in poisonous fumes. “We can’t breathe. It is so suffocating,” said Soundarajan and Rao. Even a California University report of the sample taken downwind of the Kondingayur dumpyard states that chemicals are harmful for eyes, skin, respiratory tract, central nervous system, kidneys, liver, reproductive system, cardio vascular system, bone marrow and nervous system.



Rao says this dumpyard has been hurdle in the development of north Chennai. “While the rest of the city has expanded by 25 kms. North Chennai has grown only by 5km,” he added.



Rao says that right now the government should stop such a massive level of dumping in Kodingayur besides stop burning of garbage. “The government should identify a no-man’s land to clear the garbage. When countries like Singapore, which doesn’t have a land, or Japan has a solution for the vexed garbage problem, why are we failing to thrash out a solution,” he wondered