Medavakkam panchayat struggles to handle the mounting problem of unsegregated waste

Medavakkam, an area that has expanded rapidly over the past decade owing to its proximity to the Information Technoloy companies, has been struggling to cope with the problem of solid waste management

Medavakkam, an area that has expanded rapidly over the past decade owing to its proximity to the Information Technoloy companies, has been struggling to cope with the problem of solid waste management.

Garbage collected from around one lakh houses is dumped on a ground behind Pallikaranai police station every day. While Google Maps identifies the ground as a pond, the reality is starkly different with mounds of unsegregated garbage occupying the ground. The spot was indeed a waterbody a decade ago, says Sivachandran, a resident of the area. He says as per the officials records the land comes under the classification of “forest”.

“No segregation is done. The panchayat does not have the required number of workers to do the work,” Mr. Sivachandran says. A micro composting facility set up by the panchayat is not used.

Based on a petition filed by Vanmeegam, an environmental non-profit, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had passed a series of directions to the Directorate of Municipal Administration, St. Thomas Mount Panchayat Union, and the Medavakkam Village Panchayat to comply with the Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM) 2016. “The Municipal Administration is directed to take appropriate steps to obtain necessary sanction from the government, including financial assistance in this regard,” the NGT had ordered.

Panchayat officials, however, contend that it is almost impossible to handle the large quantum of waste generated in the area with the funds available.

Ramasekar, a resident of Jalladianpet, says the panchayat continues to break one of the most basic and important stipulation of the Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM) 2016 that states that unsegregated garbage should not be dumped in open spaces. The result of this careless dumping of waste is the destruction of waterbody and groundwater, he adds.