The Hindu 07.02.2011
Mass cleaning to resume along banks of Cooum
Civic body plans operations on a monthly basis
Polluted: Localities near the bridges across the Cooum river will be the focus of the cleaning drive. — File photo
As garbage has started piling up along the banks of the Cooum, the
Chennai Corporation is planning to resume mass cleaning operations on a
monthly basis.
The decision follows a recent recommendation of the
Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT). The civic body undertook a mass
cleaning programme last year and removed 835 tonnes of solid waste
dumped along the river. However, garbage is continuously being dumped
and waste started piling up as cleaning operations on the banks remained
sporadic.
The Cooum flows through the zones of Kilpauk,
Nungambakkam and Triplicane for a length of 16 km. Localities near the
bridges across the river would be the focus of the cleaning drive as a
chunk of the garbage is being dumped in such areas. More tricycles and
compactor bins are likely to be used to facilitate collection of solid
waste in the localities.
The Corporation has directed officials of the three
zones to resume the massive cleaning operations this month and continue
it every month.
Garbage is being dumped in many localities along the
6.5-km stretch in the Kilpauk zone and the 2.9-km-long stretch in
Nungambakkam zone and the stretch in Triplicane. Sporadic cleaning
operations have already begun on some stretches now.
Last year, the civic body organised campaigns to create
awareness among 70,000 residents living along the Cooum in the three
zones. More than 55 tonnes of garbage is being collected by the civic
body every day in localities along the river, but many of the residents
are continuing to pollute the river.