Drowning in debris

CHENNAI: The fast pace of real estate growth – both residential and commercial – was inevitable in the city, considering the new ways denizens are commuting these days and the infrastructure development undertaken by the State government. But one of the many pitfalls of watching a city grow is the construction debris that fills every nook and corner of any neighbourhood, especially along the waterbodies.

The usage of heavy machinery like excavators and earth-movers inside narrow lanes and streets adds to the chaos, as it affects the night life of the public. Civic activists and residents have been lamenting over the inefficiency and the lackadaisical attitude of corporation authorities towards these issues.

And, it doesn’t help that private parties, local body authorities and the State government are equally responsible for affecting the normalcy of an otherwise relatively quieter city life.

While the local body carries out various developmental projects under the Singara Chennai 2.0 scheme, it’s disheartening to see contractors dumping construction debris on empty plots and the roadside.

This leads to congestion and other inconveniences to people. Additionally, accidents also happen due to the debris.

“Heavy vehicles always ply between Tiruvottiyur and Manali. And building owners use these vehicles to dump the waste on the roadside. This eats into our space of commute,” lamented R Ramesh, a resident of Tiruvottiyur. “At night, there are many accidents on this stretch. Though we have raised complaints to the local body and even the CM cell, debris keeps increasing every day.”

The GCC had given the removal of construction debris to private players in the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zone several months ago. Over the last few months, residents have not seen any of these contractors clearing the debris actively.

When they enquired about it, they were told that the premier had reduced the number of vehicles such as open trucks and bob carts and the manpower. Therefore, the debris was not cleared from the streets in a time-bound manner.

The corporation has been replacing old concrete electrical poles in the city, by dumping the old ones in nearby empty plots. “Since it has not been removed for months, the place is filled with harmful insects, rodents and snakes. We’re unable to send our children to play outside as we fear for their safety. We even stay indoors in the evenings because of the snakes,” rued Nedumaran, a resident and civic activist in Ambattur.

As the GCC has been carrying on the pre-monsoon preparedness works across the city, some workers dump the debris near the storm water drains. This blocks and interrupts the free flow of rainwater during the monsoon. A huge amount of debris has been dumped near the entrance of a Corporation park in Adyar. “Multiple complaints have been raised to the concerned officials. We’ve even taken it up on social media platforms but nothing happened. If the debris is not removed in 2 months, it might get into the canal and block the drains in the area,” pointed out D Balaji of Kasthurba Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association.

No regulations on demolition

While demolishing a building, both air and noise pollution plays a crucial role. Buildings have to be wet before the demolition begins to prevent dust particles from spreading through the atmosphere.

Another significant issue is noise pollution especially while using heavy machinery, which has its own drawbacks.

Individuals failed to get demolition certificates from the Chennai Corporation. Instead, they prefer to pay a hefty fine amount to the authorities.

“Recently, the government carried out road-widening work at Medavakkam where encroachers were evicted from along the road. The use of heavy machinery was a given, and the high-decibel sound was unbearable. Such an issue has not been discussed in any government platform. The government has not issued a time duration to demolish a building, especially at night. When heavy machinery is used at night, it disturbs residents in the locality,” lamented Veo Damin, an environmental activist.

Activists admitted that it has become a challenge for both the government and the people to regulate the dumping of construction debris across the city. “Instead of reusing the concrete wastes from the demolition sites, the government purchases new construction materials, which are expensive,” added Damin. “There are no regulations on timing of demolition and/or construction and usage of heavy machinery. The State government must implement stricter fines and regulations against those who dump debris in public places, and also monitor vehicles that collect the waste.”

The Chennai Corporation has commenced a mass cleaning drive to remove debris from near the riverbanks, and channels across the city every Saturday.

“We’ve intensified the campaign to clear waste materials from the roadside and waterbodies. Also, monitoring has been done by the concerned zonal officials to ensure that people do not dump wastes in public places. Penalty has been imposed against the person,” said N Mahesan, chief engineer (solid waste management), GCC.

The official stated that it was mandatory to get a certificate to demolish both private and government buildings. “Contractors have to follow our rules and regulations. If not, severe action would be taken against them,” he added.