CHENNAI: For over five years, the local panchayat in Kolapakkam dumped and burned garbage on the Adyar river bank, according to environmental activists.
Currently, the river bund is used as a dumpyard and is heavily polluted. It led to various health hazards in the locality. Though multiple complaints were raised by the local body authorities and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) no steps have been taken so far, activists alleged.
"It is a usual scene that the panchayat sanitary workers and residents of gated community dumping waste on the river bund. The road has been used by hundreds of people daily, and a school is located nearby. They dump and burn the waste in the morning hours, and till 8 am motorists are forced to turn on their vehicle lights due to lack of visibility," said David Manohar, a civic activist.
The stretch of garbage dumped on the river bank is sandwiched between Chennai Corporation area and Kolapakkam panchayat in Kancheepuram district. Recently, activists and residents of Kolapakkam raised a complaint to the local body authorities, yet the issue was ignored.
Apart from the solid waste dumped on the bank, even biomedical waste from the nearby clinics has also been dumped. The contractors, without taking the medical waste to the incinerators, are dumping it in empty plots and burning it overnight, alleged activists.
"The garbage is mixed with biomedical waste, including IV kit, surgical masks, syringes, and prescriptions, which are also being burnt. There is no response from the pollution control board for our complaints," Pughazhvendan V, another activist fumed on the issue.
Many people had seen cows and other animals grazing biomedical waste, eating plastics or get pricked by the injection needles and the contamination might enter their body, he added.
"This is the third incident reported within two weeks where biomedical waste has been spotted being dumped in public places. Though multiple complaints have been raised, no permanent solutions have been made by the TNPCB," added Pughazhvendan.
TNPCB officials could not be reached despite multiple attempts for comments on this issue.
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