Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Environment

Notices issued to around 100 drinking water units

Friday, 22 March 2013 04:51 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu                     22.03.2013

Notices issued to around 100 drinking water units

Staff Reporter 

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said it has issued show cause notices to around 100 packaged drinking water units functioning without obtaining its consent in and around the city here.

Rita Chandrasekar, counsel for TNPCB made a submission on Thursday in this regard before the National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench comprising Justice M. Chockalingam and Prof. R. Nagendran which was hearing a suo muto application on illegal packaged drinking water units.

On March 5, the Bench took suo muto cognisance of a news item that appeared in The Hindu revealing violation of basic safety parameters in packaged drinking water units. It ordered notices to City Corporation Commissioner, the TNPCB and Secretary, Environment and Forests.

 

Plastic bags make fighting fire difficult

Wednesday, 20 March 2013 04:40 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu       20.03.2013 

Plastic bags make fighting fire difficult

The challenge of fighting the flames in the more than two-decade-old dump yard of Namakkal Municipality at Kosavampatti — less than two kilometres from the district head quarters — became difficult after the fire that was brought under control during the late hours of Sunday spread over a wider area on Tuesday.

“The force of the water could not penetrate the flames for more than a foot or two from the surface, as tonnes of plastic carry bags helped the water drain away from where water was sprayed.

Due to this, water could not go deep below, where the fire was still burning,” Fire and Rescue Services personnel said. Fire fighters said that the height of the garbage stood close to 40 feet in the middle of the dump yard that sprawls over an area of more than 14 acres.

“The fire which was under control on the surface spread through the lower layer and reached the other end of the yard where there was no fire.

“We realised that we will have to take water deep below the surface to completely put out the flames. Repeated attempts were made to hire earth movers with metal chain wheels that could climb over the heaps of burning garbage and remove the top layer of garbage, so that the water could be gushed to the lower portions and out the fire.

“Only one came forward for the job and has been employed since Monday night, while others were not ready to take the risk of driving the vehicles on burning garbage,” an official said.

 

Smoke from dump yard continues to trouble residents

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 05:06 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu                           19.03.2013

Smoke from dump yard continues to trouble residents

Health hazard:Thick smoke emanates from the Namakkal municipal dump yard at Kosavampatti for the second day on Monday.– Photo: M.K. Ananth
Health hazard:Thick smoke emanates from the Namakkal municipal dump yard at Kosavampatti for the second day on Monday.– Photo: M.K. Ananth.

Thick smoke from the Namakkal municipal dump yard in Kosavampatti continues to affect normal life even after 36 hours after a fire broke out in the yard. About 46 tonnes of garbage is being dumped by the municipality there every day for more than two decades.

Majority of the people living in that locality temporarily relocated themselves and are waiting for the fire and smoke to come under control.

Water tankers

“We have brought the fire under control on Sunday after spraying close to 100 tankers of water at the yard. However, controlling the smoke is still a challenge as more than 5,000 tonnes of garbage fuelled the flames and was burnt. Due to mild wind, the emission of smoke grew heavier on Monday,” municipal authorities who were in the yard told The Hindu .

The officials said that a total of 10 water tankers - three fire tenders, five drinking water supplying tankers from Namakkal and Tiruchengode municipalities and a couple of trucks owned by private schools - were used to fight the fire. The vehicles would be stationed there till Tuesday.

Municipal officials on condition of anonymity said that the municipality stopped dumping garbage at the Kosavampatti yard about two weeks ago, after a fire. “The fire was brought under control in a very short time as it was restricted to a small area. From then on, garbage from the municipal limits is dumped at Periyapatti as a precautionary measure,” they added.

District Collector D. Jagannathan, who visited the spot on Sunday, instructed Health Department officials to conduct mobile health check-up by visiting the houses in the vicinity.

Check-up

“The medical team and municipality officials came to our houses, screened us and gave medicines. They also asked us to stay in the municipal marriage hall that night,” A. Vimala (34), a resident, said.

Even the residents living more than a km away from the yard complained of breathing difficulty and burning sensation in the eyes.

Fire and rescue services personnel, Namakkal town police, municipal and revenue officials and staff from the Health Department were stationed in the yard till Monday night. “The cause for the fire is being investigated,” the officials added.

 
More Articles...


Page 19 of 44