Deccan Chronicle 25.11.2009

IT companies dump organic waste into Adyar

Chennai
Nov. 24: If a simple drive past the Adyar river could be a ‘stinky’ affair just imagine the plight of inhabitants of lavish bungalows in Adyar, one of posh areas in the metropolis.

Like Cooum, the stench from the Adyar has made life difficult for the elite too. Besides sewage inflow, careless and large-scale dumping of biological waste is a major factor contributing to the odour. IT and ITeS companies and MNCs are among the corporate ‘culprits’ responsible for turning a once picturesque river into a cesspool. Though they do not directly dump the waste, it’s either local bodies or private bodies handling the companies’ organic waste that do so.

According to Prof A. Ramachandran of Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation Research in Anna University, on an average, an IT company in Chennai generates five tonnes of biological waste per day (vegetables and half-eaten pizzas).

Larger firms generate 10 tonnes per day, Prof Ramachandran says, adding that tests on the Adyar revealed that the BOD (biological oxygen demand) in the water was between 40-60 per cent. Even aquatic fauna would perish if the BOD exceeds 25 per cent.

If the organic waste was segregated and converted into manure, several hundred farmers will benefit and the city and water bodies would be clean, he suggests.

Though it is not mandatory for IT companies to treat waste, why should they not set an example by installing bio-digesters or bio-methanation plants that convert waste into gas and manure, Exnora international founder M.B. Nirmal, wonders. He is willing to share the expertise for bio-treatment of waste.