Urban News

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Public Health / Sanitation

Residents demand proper cleaning of drainage channels

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 05:07 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu 08.12.2009

Residents demand proper cleaning of drainage channels

Staff Reporter

— Photo: P.GOUTHAM

Health hazard: Sewage overflowing from a drainage channel on Attur main road in Salem pose threat to the health of people

SALEM: Overflow of sewage on the roads from drainage channels continues to be a persistent problem in a number of parts in Ammapet zone in the city.

As the Salem Corporation had failed to ensure proper cleaning of drainage channels, almost all the channels in the city remain heavily silted. As a result, sewage overflows from the drains on many roads including the Attur main road and a number of other inner streets in the zone. Kitchipalayam, Pachapatti, Narayanan Nagar and a few other wards in the zone were the worst affected.

The blocks in the channels were not removed for long. In the recent rains, all the drains overflowed, creating temporary pools in the low-lying areas in the zone, the residents pointed out.

Sanitary workers from the civic administration and the Swatchatha Corporation, which bagged the contract for carrying out sanitary works in 21 wards in the city, rarely turn up and clean the drainage, the people complained. The overflow of sewage is posing serious threat to the health of the residents.

Children are the worst affected as they sometime walk barefoot on the roads and streets, residents say.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 December 2009 05:09
 

Samples of leachate from garbage dumps to be tested

Saturday, 05 December 2009 01:51 administrator
Print PDF

The Hindu 05.12.2009

Samples of leachate from garbage dumps to be tested

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

People complained of deterioration in groundwater quality

 

Any liquid oozing from garbage is called leachate

Studies have shown high levels of pH, TDS, chloride near Perungudi yard

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board will take samples of leachate from garbage dumps in and around the city in view of complaints from those living near them about deterioration in quality of groundwater.

Senior officials of the Board told The Hindu that based on test results, action would be taken. The TNPCB has so far issued no objection certificates to 23 landfills in and around the city.

Any liquid oozing from garbage is called leachate and is a potential pollutant. It is formed in landfills when water infiltrates and percolates through waste and dissolves organic and inorganic components. The recent rains are likely to have produced leachates. Various studies by different institutes have shown very high levels of pH, TDS and chloride near Perungudi dump.

Later, a senior official of the Chennai Corporation said it had plans to segregate the existing garbage and remove plastics from its dump sites. “If plastics and other recyclables are removed what will remain is only decomposed garbage that can be made into manure,” officials said. Tenders would soon be called for sieving garbage. The civic body also plans to do reclamation of landfills.

Asked about illegal dumping of garbage in open plots, TNPCB officials said that district environmental engineers of the Board in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts would be asked to go and identify places where such illegal dumping is rampant.

Residents of several areas including Ambattur, Mogappair, Poonamallee and Valasaravakkam have been repeatedly complaining about unauthorised dumping, including by the local bodies.

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 December 2009 02:07
 

‘Clean Cooum to become a reality'

Thursday, 03 December 2009 11:15 administrator
Print PDF

The New Indian Express 03.12.2009

‘Clean Cooum to become a reality'

Express News Service


CHENNAI: A clean Cooum with inland water transport facility would become a reality as efforts to expedite project implementation are on, Mayor M Subramanian said here on Wednesday.

Addressing a meeting between NGOs, environmentalists, academicians and youth network representatives slated to participate in the Copenhagen Climate Meet at the British Deputy High Commission, he said Chennai Corporation would also accelerate efforts to effectively tackle climate change in the city. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has been according top priority to both these projects, he added.

Recently, a delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin visited Singapore to study a project similar to that of Cooum. The Singapore river is 11 km long and had 27,500 huts on its banks prior to its beautification.

“Cooum is comparatively longer, 18 km in Chennai alone, and with a total length is 72.5 km. But we have only 10,000 huts here. In Chintadripet, 1,200 huts were removed and people relocated. The process of removing the rest of the huts are on,” the mayor said.

Earlier, delegates gave their perspectives and spoke on the action needed on climate change issue. Arivudai Nambi, firector, Climate Adaptation, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Prof Sudhir Chellarajan of IIT Madras and Prof Nagendran of Anna University participated.

British Deputy High Commissioner Mike Nithavrianakis lauded Chennai for its low per capita emission - 0.88 tonnes in 2007-08, which is below the national average of 1.2 to 2 tonnes a year. “What makes the city and the State distinct is that both have a vocal civil society base. The media and NGOs have been quite active on environmental issues, long before Copenhagen hit the headlines,” he said.

Last Updated on Thursday, 03 December 2009 11:18
 
More Articles...


Page 163 of 200