515 confirmed dengue cases in Chennai since Jan 2018: Corpn

However, a division bench comprising justices Vineet Kothari and Anita Sumanth before whom the submission was made about the Corporation having taken effective steps to clean Cooum river, asked the authorities whether a committee has been formed to monitor the desilting operations.

Also, noting that there seems to be no correlation between the huge amounts that has been spent and the cleanup that has transpired, the bench sought to know whether the Corporation can offer an assurance as to whether Chennai has been turned into a garbage free and clean city.

It also directed the Corporation to submit a detailed report about the desilting works undertaken and the present status of the channels within two weeks.

The Corporation’s submission was in response to a plea move by advocate A P Suryaprakasam, which sought a direction to the civic body to prevent the spread of dengue and provide treatment to those affected at Government cost.

D Karthikeyan, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, in the status report handed over to the court submitted that 18.138 metric tonnes of silt/hyacinth was removed through amphibian and robotic machines. It was weighed at landfill site through electronic weigh bridge located in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi.

Along with this, the Corporation had erected trash booms across the Cooum river at eight locations and so far, 17,934 metric tonnes of solid waste/hyacinth was removed, thereby preventing pollutants from entering the sea.

The status report also claimed that its amphibian equipment was deployed to clear hyacinth in the Buckingham canal and other canals, which are maintained by the PWD, following grievances raised by the public. It was done to keep the mosquito menace under control, prevent outbreak of vector borne diseases, upkeep public hygiene and to ensure smooth water flow during monsoon season.

Also noting that a sum of over Rs 6 crore was spent to desilt the channels, the report noted that Chennai is in the delta of major rivers and takes most of the surplus from all the canals and tanks located around the city.

Maintaining these canals and rivers is difficult since there is constant inflow of floating materials/hyacinth throughout the year, it said.