Two city dumpyards continue to cause pollution, despite biomining
Trenches without lining in the Perungudi dump pose the risk of seepage of effluents into the groundwater. Water, accumulated during rain, is directed to a treatment plant and then the Pallikaranai marsh, said officials.
The Greater Chennai Corporation’s dumps at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur continue to pollute air, water, and land in their surroundings. The measures to mitigate the impact were insufficient, councillors say. Despite the ongoing biomining, issues such as the biomining firms not meeting the daily targets, the lack of protective lining, and inadequate waste segregation exacerbate the hazards, they told The Hindu.
Chennai generates roughly 5,500 tonnes of waste daily. For roughly 35 years, the waste is processed in the landfills at Perungudi close to the Pallikaranai marsh and at Kodungaiyur. Biomining reduces carbon dioxide emissions every year and will help to produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF) as an alternative to coal in cement factories, officials earlier stated.
Biomining has begun in the Kodungaiyur dump too. Here, the 66.52 lakh tonnes of legacy solid waste has been split into six packages and will be processed at an estimated cost of ₹640.83 crore. The work is expected to be completed over the next two years. Meanwhile, the biomining at the Perungudi dump will be completed by August 31, according to senior officials of the Chennai Corporation.
Lacks protective lining
J.L. Lakshmi, councillor of ward 191, says the Pallikaranai marsh is indirectly affected by the nearby 225.16-acre Perungudi dump. People rely on the Metro Water supply rather than borewells for consumption owing to potential pollution. She adds that air pollution is a constant complaint from families living close by and commuters passing by the dump.
According to a study published in 2005 by Community of Environmental Monitoring, which gathers data on pollution, the air around the Pallikaraai marsh close to the garbage dump has at least 27 toxic chemicals, including the high presence of 3 carcinogenic substances which could cause cancer in children.
However, Tamilarasi Somu, councillor of ward 183, who acknowledges that the water could be polluted, maintains that this may not have been due to the dump. Water, accumulated during the rains, was noted at the Perungudi dump. In April, when fire prevention measures were taken up because of the soaring temperature, the Superintending Engineer (Solid Waste Management) said trenches were cut in the soil adjoining the piles for the drainage of water trickling down after sprinkling.
A senior engineer of the Solid Waste Management Department says this water is filtered in a Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) treatment plant. It is then let into the water in the Pallikaranai marsh. “There is no lining for the three gangways and smaller trenches, where the water flows to the plant, and as of now, there is seepage into the ground which needs to be addressed,” he says. The seepage at Kodungaiyur is allowed to evaporate, he adds. Another engineer says the spread of air particles will come to a halt only when the biomining process is over, likely by the end of August.
Impact on humans
According to ward 41 councillor B. Vimala, the detrimental impact of the 335-acre Kodungaiyur dump extends several kilometres around it. A resident of R.K. Nagar for over 32 years, she says the skin problems in the area can be attributed to the contaminated well water and corroded pipes, which were laid 40 years ago by the CMWSSB. Further, she points to the slow plant growth and breathing issues among residents owing to poor air quality. Ms.Vimala has urged the Corporation to expedite biomining of the legacy waste to address the harmful effect of effluents polluting the groundwater.
Ward 42 councillor Renuka says harmful greenhouse gases are released and it is a matter of concern for many, including her kin, who live close to the dump. J. Dilli Babu, councillor of ward 37 where the dump is situated, says that during a recent inspection by the Standing Committee (Public Health), chaired by G. Shanthakumari, the firms involved in biomining failed to meet the daily target of 100 tonnes, citing insufficient raw material for waste processing. This has slowed down the remediation process.
“To mitigate air pollution, Regional Deputy Commissioner (North) Katta Ravi Teja is exploring the feasibility of setting up a sheet within the next 20 days to control the dispersion of particles in the air. Setting up a Miyawaki forest close to the dump can also control greenhouse gas emissions,” he says. “I have been requesting the details of segregation and biomining at the dump since I got elected, but I have not received any information so far from the officials concerned,” he says.
All three councillors state that segregated waste is still not collected from people by the companies that have partnered the Corporation in several wards. This will further complicate issues in Kodungaiyur, they say. Zone 4 ward committee chairperson Nethaji U. Ganesan says he has not received any complaint so far.
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