Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004
Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004 |
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Chennai
By Karthik Subramanian
CHENNAI, NOV. 23. Chennai Corporation will collect only segregated garbage from city households starting December 4. Municipality workers will accompany conservancy staff during door-to-door collection of garbage from this Friday to impress upon residents the need to segregate waste into its organic and inorganic components. Residents of three of the ten corporation zones — Ice House (Zone VI), Kodambakkam (Zone VIII) and Adyar (Zone X) — where private operator CES Onyx clears garbage, have been asked to hand over recyclable waste to Chennai Corporation workers. Officials said the scheme was being implemented in line with the instructions of the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, as part of her vision for an "Ezhilmigu Chennai." Though a Supreme Court-constituted panel has mandated that source segregation be implemented in all cities, there are more than just legal compulsions for the implementation of the scheme here. According to Corporation officials, the city's dumping yards in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi are fast running out of space.
No space
Currently, the civic agency and CES Onyx dump close to 3,500 tonnes of garbage every day. In both places, the grounds have been almost entirely used up — nearly 200 acres of the 250 acres at Kondungaiyur and nearly 250 acres of the 350 acres available at Perungudi. A senior official said: "At this rate, both the yards will be rendered unusable in five years' time. We do not have another dumping ground site as yet. Therefore it is important to go in for source segregation and minimise waste reaching the dumping grounds." With garbage reaching the dumping yards constituting 40 per cent biodegradable waste and 25 per cent recyclable waste, the Corporation foresees a drastic reduction in the amount of waste reaching Kodungaiyur and Perungudi if source segregation is implemented successfully. Another cause for concern has been the deterioration of groundwater and subsoil near the dumping grounds. A study by Anna University's Centre for Environmental Studies in 2003 revealed high-levels of heavy metals in the landfill leachates in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi. (Liquid leachate is a potentially polluting component formed in landfills when water infiltrates and percolates through wastes and dissolves organic and inorganic components. The recent rains are likely to have produced leachates.)
Saving money
Officials also hope that introduction of source segregation in the City would eventually help them save money. Currently, the civic agency spends close to Rs. 120 crores a year clearing garbage and sending it to the dumping yards. If localised compost yards are set up to convert organic waste to manure, the Corporation will need to transport lesser amount to the yards. This in turn will help save money.
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