Local body dumps waste on Adyar banks in Gerugambakkam

CHENNAI: Hundreds of crores spent by the State government departments to restore Adyar river will go waste, as the local bodies outside Chennai Corporation limits continue to dump solid waste on the banks of the river.

A similar practice is eating up the Adyar river near Gerugambakkam, as the panchayat continues to dump solid waste close to the banks contravening environmental norms.

“As per the rules, dumping garbage within 200 metres from the banks of waterbodies is a violation. But the local body in Gerugambakkam flouts the rules and now the illegal landfill touches the banks,” Dayanand Krishnan, activist and GIS Consultant, said.

He added that the landfill has almost eaten up a nearby road. “The landfill spreads around 500 metres along the river and there is no approach to the riverbank,” he said. “The TN Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) that should monitor such acts and take measures to prevent them has taken no steps to prevent it.”

When contacted, TNPCB chairperson M Jayanthi said that local bodies should act against the illegal dumping. “We’ll take measures to prevent the garbage dumping near the banks,” she assured.

It may be recalled that the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal had ordered the TNPCB to inspect the illegal dumping yard and file a report and to calculate environmental compensation to be collected from the concerned local body. Despite this, dumping is continuing unabated.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metro Water) submitted a report a few days ago stating that projects worth Rs 555 crore is under way to prevent sewage inflow into Adyar under Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT).

Out 56 projects, 14 are to be implemented at Rs 123 crore to remove 39 sewage outfalls into the river.