CHENNAI: Due to a story published in DT Next, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), along with the help of volunteers, cleared the waste dumped along the Ernavoor pond.
On August 10, a news story titled ‘Garbage dumping, sewage discharge continue at Ernavoor pond’ was published in DT Next, which pointed to the lackadaisical attitude of GCC officials in taking action to prevent pollution of the pond.
Residents in the area fumed that despite repeated complaints, the Corporation officials were not maintaining the two-and-half acre pond, the main source of drinking water in the area. “The pond was originally owned by the Railways department. However, ITC took charge of maintaining it for the past two years through an NGO. Some residents dump garbage in and around the pond, thereby spoiling the pristine nature of the waterbody,” lamented Niranjan Patnaik, president, Kamarajar Nagar Residents Welfare Association.
Following the publication of the story, the GCC deployed 10 cleanliness workers and also volunteers from the RWA to clean the garbage from the pond. Patnaik, who also participated in the cleaning, added: “We’ve requested the local body to strengthen the pond bund, establish a walking track for residents and also fence the entire pond to keep it from further exploitation.”