A dump yard in Pammal, which was restored through bio-mining in 2020, has once again become a towering trash mountain. The real twist is that the Tambaram Corporation — the line agency tasked with managing waste — is responsible.
When Pammal was a municipality, the dump yard was scientifically restored by treating the old waste and removing undigested organic matter, in a process called bio-mining. Once the locality was merged with Tambaram Corporation, the civic body started dumping about 150 tonnes of waste every day in Pammal’s Mahalakshmi Nagar (adjoining survey number where bio-mining was done) and the nearby Adyar river, laying to waste the efforts of clearing the landfill.
By doing so, Tambaram Corporation is also defying the 2017 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and setting back waste management progress in Pammal by a decade.
A barren locality
Located on the Pammal-Thiruneermalai Main Road, Mahalakshmi Nagar is a mixed-use area featuring both residential properties and commercial establishments, including metal supply stores. The dump yard problem is also affecting at least 300 families from three other localities — Visveswarapuram, Ranganathapuram and Srinivasapuram. The population here is rapidly declining due to the unhealthy living conditions caused by waste dumping.
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“Those who are staying in rented premises have relocated and many of the houses have been vacant for several months now. Those who own houses here do not have a choice but to stay on,” says B K Gomathi, a resident of Visveswarapuram in Pammal, who regrets constructing a house here three years ago.
Her house is about half a kilometre from the dump yard, yet the stench forces her to shut the doors and windows. “Our children have been falling sick often ever since the area was converted to a dump yard. It cannot be a coincidence,” she says.
“The stench is just unbearable,” says Karthikeyan, whose residence is close to the dump yard. By keeping the doors and windows shut to escape from the stench, his family has been compromising on the most basic of things – fresh air, unpolluted water and access to public spaces for a stroll in the neighbourhood.
Living in unhealthy conditions
“Children in our families are suffering from rashes and skin diseases. Mosquitoes and flies have invaded the place, posing a disease threat. Despite using strong repellents at home, we can’t seem to keep the flies away,” says Jaghadish A P, a resident.
On July 22, the accumulated garbage was set ablaze, leaving nearby residents choking as their houses filled with smoke. This is not a one-off scenario as garbage burning happens regularly in the locality. “It is the most painful time, as we cannot breathe well even at home,” Jaghadish says.
The dumping has also affected the water, making it hard and non-potable. “The stench of the groundwater is so bad that we can’t even use it for washing and cleaning,” says Karthikeyan. He adds that they have to spend quite a bit of their money to buy water for drinking and cooking.
Violating green court’s orders
In December 2017, NGT’s southern bench comprising Judicial member Justice M S Nambiar directed the Pammal Municipality to complete the entire bio-mining process by December 31, 2018.
That year, Zigma Global Environ Solutions Pvt Ltd bagged the work order to bio-mine the Pammal landfill. “Legacy waste site spanning 1.5 acres was rehabilitated over two years. The land, which was part of Pammal Municipality, also included a section owned by private individuals,” informs a source from Zigma, seeking anonymity.
Even though the project missed its 2019 deadline owing to a pause in the work due to COVID-19, documents accessed by Citizen Matters prove that it was completed and handed over to the then-Pammal Municipality in 2020.
However, Zigma has not been paid yet. “We have been following up the issue with Tambaram Corporation. There has been no response,” the source says.
Commissioner of Tambaram Corporation, S Balachander says that the garbage is being transferred from Pammal. “About 150 tonnes of garbage is being dumped daily at Pammal, only to be transferred to Chengalpet’s Appur, the earmarked site for waste collection for the civic body,” he adds and promises “The corporation will clear the garbage at Pammal in two months.”
Threat to human health
As per the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, any landfill site must be 100 metres away from rivers. “In the case of Pammal, the landfill created by Tambaram Corporation, is adjoining the Adyar river. Part of the garbage is strewn in the water body,” said Jaghadish.
A study conducted in Italy investigated the potential health impacts of residing within 5 km of landfills. It found that both adults and children living near these waste sites experienced respiratory symptoms. The study linked exposure to hydrogen sulfide, a marker of airborne pollution from landfills, with increased lung cancer mortality and higher rates of respiratory diseases, including hospitalisations for acute respiratory infections in children aged 0-14.
“I have never had wheezing in my life. For the last one year, I have been living with it,” says one resident. “I don’t live near the landfill, but I have to pass by it to drop my kid off at school. The pungent smell has been giving me a headache,” says another resident.
What residents of Pammal are demanding
- As stories from the community reveal frequent illness among children and adults living near the Pammal dump yard, residents are urging Tambaram Corporation to take responsibility and conduct thorough health check-ups to assess the implications.
- In 2015, the residents of Pammal formed the Mahalakshmi Nagar, Ranganathapuram, and Visveswarapuram Welfare Association to voice grievances in their locality. The association played a key role in taking the dump yard issue to the Green Tribunal. The residents’ group was inactive for some time, and the locals are now reviving it to address the issue again.
- In addition to clearing the dump yard, citizens are demanding that the health department of the Tambaram Corporation conduct free medical checkups to assess the impact of the dump yard on their health.
Are you facing waste collection or dumping issues in your locality? Have you approached the civic authorities with your garbage woes? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
(With inputs from Hosanna Rajilene)