Times of India, Sept 3 2011
CHENNAI: Pressure is mounting on the state to shut down the dumpyard at Kodungaiyur. On Friday, CPM legislator from Perambur A Soundararajan joined environmentalists and members of residents' welfare associations to seek the intervention of the state government in shifting the yard to a no man's zone to safeguard six lakh people in north Chennai.
Though the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) marked the area for a government institute, it was turned into a dumpyard 16 years after the residential colonies were formed.
If CMDA approved layouts near the dumpsites in 1971, such as Mahakavi Bharathi Nagar, Kaviarasu Kannadasan Nagar, Raja Rathinam Nagar, the Directorate of Town and Country Planning approved colonies such as Krishnamurthy Nagar, Vivekananda Nagar, Ezhil Nagar, Parvathy Nagar, Eveready Colony, Thiruvalluvar Nagar.
Soundararajan said the constant burning of garbage poses serious health hazards to the local community. "The state has to shift the yard permanently. As a temporary measure, we want the government to stop burning of waste, raise a compound wall and prevent outsiders from gaining entry." He said the existing unsegregated waste had to be leveled through scientific means.
An air sample tested at Columbia Analytical Services in Simi Valley in California during 2006 detected the presence of nine chemicals – Carbon Disulphide, Chloromethane, Acrolein, Acetone, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Benzene, Toluene, 1,2-Dichlorobenzene and d-Limonene, which target the eyes, skin, central nervous system, kidneys, liver, reproductive system, cardio-vascular system, bone marrow and peripheral nervous system.
Ever Vigilant Citizens Welfare Association president N S Ramachandra Rao says Tondiarpet zone, in which Kodungaiyur falls, generates only 320 tonnes of garbage a day, but 4,000 tonnes of waste from seven zones is disposed here. The mounds of garbage, including plastic waste, results in mosquito menace. "Let the government decentralize the solid waste disposal in each of the 10 zones and segregate plastic waste," said Rao.
AIADMK government in its previous tenure had recommended zone-wise collection, segregation and disposal of garbage, said A Pandurangan of Kaviarasu Kannadasan Nagar.
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