Urban News

The Hindu 10.09.2009

Free service to inspect RWH systems in Chennai

K. Lakshmi

CHENNAI: With hardly a month to go for the onset of the northeast monsoon, a check of the rainwater harvesting structures is imperative to reap benefit of the showers.

Rainwater experts in the city said Chennai’s rainfall of 128.9 mm received between June 1 and August 26 saw a deficit by 56 per cent. In its attempt to create awareness of RWH maintenance, the Rain Centre at Mandavelipakkam is offering free service to inspect the system.

The centre’s director Sekhar Raghavan said the service is being provided for the first time as part of its 7th anniversary celebrations. A team of trained resource persons would visit places and provide a cost estimate to clean and repair of the structures located in any part of the city.

Earlier, the centre’s resource persons would visit households to implement RWH system. It would take about Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 6,000 according to the size of the structures, he said.

“It is easier to clean recharge wells than the recharge pits that are narrow. An efficient RWH structure would harness almost 100 per cent of the rainfall even if it is only a few millimetres,” Mr. Raghavan said. Listing out the benefits of RWH, he said groundwater table in many areas increased by six metre during 2006. Several educational institutions that harnessed rainwater have been able to avoid flooding in their premises during heavy showers by installing such structures. Interested residents could contact the centre at 24616134 or 24918415.

The Hindu 10.09.2009

Karur Collector stresses safe disposal of waste

Staff Reporter

ALL PRAISE: Karur Collector J. Uma Maheswari (third from right) at the garbage safe disposal site near Sathyamangalam on Tuesday.

KULITHALAI: Awareness and sustained education need to be furthered among the public in maintaining the houses and towns clean and green. Spread of contagious diseases could be nullified in towns that take proper care in safe disposal of civic waste, according to Karur District Collector J. Uma Maheswari.

Addressing the regional workshop on “Strategies and Options for Decentralised Solid Waste Management,” here on Tuesday, Dr. Uma Maheswari lauded the initiative of the Kulithalai Municipality in implementing a novel solid waste management collection and disposal method in 12 of the 24 wards in the civic area that borders the Cauvery.

Elected representatives and officials of local bodies could take a cue from the efforts of the Kulithalai Municipality Chairman A. Amuthavel and Commissioner Dhanalakshmi who had infused a sense of public cleanliness and sanitation among the townsmen. In fact Karur town should also try to initiate such an endeavour to keep the city clean by going in for segregation of solid waste at the source itself through proper door-to-door collection of garbage in segregated form.

The Collector lauded the role of sanitary workers engaged in the task, saying their work was central to the success of the whole scheme.

“Proper disposal of civic waste was not a help we are doing to others. Rather we are helping ourselves in keeping our environs clean and we should take the lead in ensuring that all lead a healthy life in clean surroundings,” Dr. Uma Maheswari said.

Exnora Advisor V. Ganapathy, officials and public health officers from various civic bodies in the region took part in the deliberations and the field studies arranged as part of the workshop.