The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Residents up in arms against dumping of waste in Pallavaram lake

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Saturday, Mar 08, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Residents up in arms against dumping of waste in Pallavaram lake

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: Giving up hope on the efforts of the official machinery to prevent the dumping of garbage into the Pallavaram ‘Periya Eri’, residents and activists decided to confront the miscreants who discharged sewage and attempted to dump garbage in the water body themselves on Thursday night.

A section of the residents and civic groups in Pallavaram and environmentalists have been fighting for protection of the water body, which once measured over 200 acres. Though there are clear directions that no private or government agency should use the lake fringes for letting out waste, the menace has been going on unchecked, they complained.

Deciding to put an end to the menace, a group of residents went on a vigil from Thursday night, thwarting attempts by sewage tanker operators and even some government vehicles from dumping garbage and letting out sewage into the lake.

More than two dozen volunteers of various civic groups positioned themselves in different spots to prevent miscreants from littering the place. Armed with digital cameras and sophisticated camera mobile phones, they also took images of some sewage tankers and some government vehicles attempting to dump old tubelights.

Stating that both the State Government and the courts were taking a series view of problems caused to the environment, activists appealed to urban local bodies to ensure that they take greater care to protect natural resources.

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