North Chennai residents plan human chain protest against waste incinerators on May 25
Federation of welfare assns seeks shelving of waste-to-energy incinerator
TK Shanmugham, President of Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Associations, addressing a seminar on Sunday
CHENNAI: Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Associations said that it will be holding a human chain protest on May 25, demanding shelving of waste-to-energy incinerator projects in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi.
The decision was taken during a seminar on North Chennai Environmental Protection for 107 resident welfare associations on Sunday at Erukkanchery. Several ward councillors from different parties and civic activists participated in the seminar.
The federation said that the incinerator projects will turn North Chennai into a toxic city.
“The Tamil Nadu government and the Greater Chennai Corporation should understand the seriousness of the incinerator plant that is being planned to be set up at Kodungaiyur dump yard and in Perungudi. This can cause huge hazards to the residents and will turn Chennai into one of the most polluted cities in the world,” TK Shanmugham, president of the federation, said.
The federation’s resolutions further stressed that the Chennai Corporation should abandon its decision to close down 168 centres that compost garbage and 88 waste recovery centres that separate materials from non-biodegradable waste for recycling. To ensure a plastic-free environment, the corporation should ban the production of non-recyclable plastic.
“The field survey by environmentalists found that a 10-tonne/day waste incinerator plant in the Chinna Mathur area in Manali was running without the permission of the Pollution Control Board for the past five years. Now it was temporarily shut down,” the resolution further said.
A waste incinerator emits 65 per cent more carbon than a thermal power plant. The environmentalists had warned that it is equivalent to 1.5 million cars that emit carbon every day.
“The ash particles emitted from this waste incinerator will pollute drinking water in various water bodies, including Retteri and Puzhal Lake, which provide drinking water to Chennai, and will also cause massive pollution in houses and roadside restaurants. Without knowing the seriousness of children playing with the ashes with their hands,” said TK Shanmugam.
“Already, chemical, fertilizer, petroleum, rubber, and thermal power plants in Thiruvottiyur, Ennore and Manali areas of North Chennai have been defined as hazardous industries by the Pollution Control Board. Even though these companies proclaim they operate very safely,” he added.
