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Environment

Wanted: Disposal unit in each district in Chennai

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The Times of India     17.12.2019

Wanted: Disposal unit in each district in Chennai

 

TCHENNAI: Following a directive from the National Green Tribunal, the district administration set up a monitoring committee in September and formulated an environment plan for Chennai.

According to the committee, which met two weeks ago, 825 healthcare facilities operate in Chennai district, but there are only two centres to treat biomedical waste they generate. These centres also cater to the waste from Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore districts.

Activists said two centres were inadequate. “Every district should have a common biomedical waste treatment facility,” said environmental activist Jawaharlal Shanmugam, who has been fighting the state pollution regulator at various forums including the National Green Tribunal.

Jawaharlal said a general practitioner treating 40 patients a day at a clinic can generate 100 grams of biomedical waste. “Authorities are saying that we are generating 70,000 tonnes per year across all hospitals and clinics in the state, which is nothing compared to the number of healthcare facilities we have,” he said.

“For entire TN, there are only eight operational common biomedical waste treatment facilities. This is insufficient. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat have more than 20 such facilities,” Jawaharlal said.

In the district committee meeting, a plan of action was chalked out to treat biomedical waste.

The corporation’s health officers, officials of the public health department and pollution control board have been told to provide a list of bedded, non-bedded hospitals, blood banks, clinical labs in the district, after which all the facilities are to avail authorization from the pollution control board. It was decided that efforts will be made to set up a full-fledged common biomedical waste treatment facility within one year.

“The committee will ensure that biomedical waste management rules are complied with by tracking the collection vehicles and checking if the quantity loaded on the vehicles matches the waste generated,” a committee member said. 

Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 December 2019 08:04
 

Plastic ban comes into force in city

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The Hindu      11.12.2018 

Plastic ban comes into force in city

‘Awareness about the ban low among residents’

With the plastic ban of the Corporation coming into effect on Monday, shopkeepers in the city have started giving goods in cloth bags and paper bundles.

City Health Officer V. Satish Raghavan said at least 6,000 commercial establishments such as marriage halls, departmental stores, retail grocers, restaurants and eateries would have to stop using single-use plastic goods.

Shopkeepers should not keep or sell plastic carry bags, non-recyclable plastic ware and and use-and-throw cups. The ban was also applicable to manufacturing, storing and selling of plastic goods below 50 microns.

First-time violators would be issued a warning by sanitary inspectors who would be raiding shops in the four zones at random, he said. “We have been issuing these instructions to eateries and bulk waste generators who use plastic as packaging material over the last two months. If they have already received notices, they would need to pay a fine ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000. If they continue to defy the ban, their licences will be cancelled,” he said.

Government offices stopped using plastic goods from July 3. Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar had been conducting awareness programmes in schools and administering pledge against plastic use since September 15.

Despite these initiatives, the awareness about the plastic ban was low among city residents, shopkeepers said.

J. Manimaran, a shopkeeper who welcomes the ban, said, “We spend about Rs. 1,500 each month on plastic bags. In order to reduce the dependence on plastic bags, we have been urging our customers to bring cloth bags. Some do, but many are still unaware of the ban,” he said. The plastic ban could lead to a dip in sales initially, but people would soon adjust themselvesby and by, he said.


End of a scourge

First-time violators will be issued a warning by sanitary inspectors

Raids will be conducted on shops in the four zones at random

Those who received notices already must pay a fine of Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000

 

Massive drive launched to make Sivaganga plastic-free

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The Hindu      09.01.2018  

Massive drive launched to make Sivaganga plastic-free

Sivaganga Collector G. Latha addressing people in a church on Sunday as part of the awareness campaign for a plastic-free district  

Recruitment of 12,000 ‘green warriors’ has begun

The district administration has launched a massive drive to free the district from the menace of plastics and has begun recruiting 12,000 ‘green warriors’ – volunteers to inform, educate and communicate (IEC) one-to-one with the public to achieve the task.

Launching the drive with a signature campaign and logo release recently, Minister for Khadi and Village Industries Board G. Baskaran and Collector G. Latha impressed upon the people to say ‘no’ to plastics, segregate solid waste at the doorstep and avoid open defecation to make the district clean and green.

The district had three lakh households and there would be one green warrior for every 25 households to inform, educate and communicate with the people on the danger posed by plastic wastes and the need to avoid open defecation.

“The process of recruiting green warriors is going on in full swing and we will launch the ICE programme next week,” Ms Latha said. Simultaneously, the warriors, mostly members of women self help groups, non-governmental organisations and Nehru Yuva Kendras would educate the people on the need to segregate degradable and non-degradable solid wastes at their doorstep and opt for individual toilets.

All those who were interested in making the district green and clean could become green warriors. A massive awareness campaign with a series of cultural events, competitions, marathons and wall paintings would be launched at all levels in rural and urban local bodies, the Collector said.

After month-long IEC, the district administration, with the help of sponsors, proposed to distribute cloth bags to the people and persuade them to avoid using plastics during the whole of February before initiating penal actions in March, B. Kanchana, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency, said.

As part of the awareness campaign, Ms. Latha addressed churches and jamats on Sunday as part of eliciting the support of all sections of society. A Rangoli competition had been arranged for January 12 and the winners would be given 1, 2 and 4 gms of gold, said officials.

 
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