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Plastic waste clogs Kodappamund Channel

Thursday, 30 March 2017 07:34 administrator
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The Hindu        30.03.2017  

Plastic waste clogs Kodappamund Channel

Plastic wastes choke the Kodapamund Channel near mini garden in Udhagamandalam.Photo:M.SathyamoorthyM_Sathyamoorthy;M_Sathyamoorthy -  

Public should have responsibility to prevent waste entering into the channel

The once pristine Kodappamund Channel, a natural stream that once used to host a wide variety of wildlife, and cuts through Udhagamandalam town, is now filled with plastic bottles and is being polluted with sewage waste.

Currently, the Public Works Department undertook the cleaning of the channel for a sum of Rs. 5 lakh, clearing tonnes of debris and waste, mostly limited to plastic waste from the channel.

Speaking to The Hindu , K Kalidas of OSAI, a conservation NGO, said that the existence of Udhagamandalam town was dependent on the natural channel, as John Sullivan, the founder of modern Ooty, was attracted to the Nilgiris because of the stream that used to host a wide variety of aquatic life.

“The water from the stream was tapped to irrigate the Sigur plateau, and it was even used as a drinking water source till around a few decades ago,” said Mr. Kalidas.

Mr. Kalidas said that priority should be given to the local ecology of the Nilgiris and called for measures to be adopted to stop plastic entering into the channel and also for sewage to not be dumped directly into it.

“There are waste management techniques and small technologies that can be adopted to treat domestic sewage and ensure that pollution is minimised and even eliminated,” he said, calling for small series of sewage treatment plants to be established along the course of the channel to treat waste water before letting it enter into the stream.

There is also ambiguity as to who actually has the ambit to maintain the stream, with the PWD, municipality and even the revenue department being equal stakeholders, said sources in the district administration.

While the PWD recently cleaned up the channel, the municipality has also been called in to clean waste and treat sewage, while the sewage treatment plant which treats the water before it enters the lake is also run by the municipality. Records also state that the revenue department is in possession of the land through which the channel passes.

The municipality has recently taken some perfunctory steps into minimising waste from entering the channel, with meetings being held with hotel owners to devise mechanisms whereby restaurants and hotels near the channel have a viable means of disposing of their waste without dumping it into the channel, but V. Prabhakaran, Commissioner (in-charge), Udhagamandalam Municipality, believes that locals and tourists have the first responsibility to prevent waste and garbage entering into the channel.

“We can clean the channel a few times, but it is up to the people to stop dumping waste illegally into the Kodappamund, and ensure that there is a lasting solution to the problem,” he said.

Mr. Kalidas said that environmentalist groups were planning on holding a meeting soon with the district administration to discuss water pollution in the various water bodies in the Nilgiris and to formulate lasting solutions that will ensure that they are rejuvenated and restored.

 

Coimbatore Corporation seizes 5 tonne of banned plastic bags

Tuesday, 21 March 2017 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India       21.03.2017  

Coimbatore Corporation seizes 5 tonne of banned plastic bags

| | Updated: Mar 21, 2017, 07.23 PM IST
Coimbatore Corporation seizes plastic bags which are below 50 microns

 

Coimbatore Corporation seizes plastic bags which are below 50 microns

 

COIMBATORE: After almost six months, the Coimbatore Corporation again started cracking the whip on people selling plastic bags below 50 microns.

The civic body seized five tonne of banned plastic bags from wholesale shops in Thomas Street and Raja Street on Tuesday. The last time, the civic body conducted a raid was in 2016 when 500kg of banned plastic bags were seized from a shop at Sundarapuram in the south zone of the civic body.

According to the assistant city health officer Santhosh Kumar, officials received an information on Monday morning that banned plastic bags were being brought from Erode to godowns in Thomas Street and Raja Street. The sanitary workers in the area followed the trucks and kept the officials informed about their movement.

At around 10.30am, two trucks were stopped and five tonne of plastic was seized.

Two tonne of banned plastic bags were seized when they were being unloaded from a truck. Sanitary officers and inspectors were also present during the raid.

Santhosh Kumar said that according to the new solid waste management rules, 2016, plastics less than 50 microns are banned and should not be used.

Nearly eight small scale plastic bag manufacturers are functioning in Velandipalayam area in the city. Civic body officials visited them last week and conducted inspections.

"We found that all the manufacturers in the city are following rules. These banned plastics are coming into the city from the nearby districts such as Erode and Salem and some also from Kerala," said a sanitary inspector.

"We have been creating awareness on the alternative options available and have been urging the residents to stop the usage of plastics. We will soon stick posters in all the shops and grocery stores in the city. A workshop will also be conducted on March 25 and 26," said Santhosh Kumar. He added that the raids would continue.

The plastic bags seized will be used by the civic body to lay roads, and a portion of it will be handed over to cement companies located in and around the city.
 

Local bodies asked to act on plastic bag sale

Monday, 01 December 2014 06:29 administrator
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The Hindu          01.12.2014 

Local bodies asked to act on plastic bag sale

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department has written to district collectors asking them to direct local bodies to take action against vendors around temples who use bags that are less than 40-microns thick. This is part of its efforts to prevent the use of plastic bags inside temples.

Around 50 large temples, including Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple, Kapaleeswarar temple and Thiruverkadu Karumariamman temple, have implemented a ban on use of plastic bags on their premises.

“The archakas have been directed not to accept offerings with plastic covers. The devotees are also being sensitised so they do not bring flowers and other offerings in plastic bags,” said P. Dhanapal, commissioner, HR&CE.

Temples have also procured bamboo baskets that are provided to devotees who are unaware of the plastic ban inside temples. However, shops outside the temples continue to give flowers to devotees in plastic bags.

“In a few places like the Vadapalani Murugan temple, vendors have agreed to provide baskets that can be reused. But in other temples, they are not toeing our line. Local bodies have to take action against such vendors, but they haven’t, which is why we have written to collectors asking them to direct the civic bodies to initiate action,” he said. Sources in the Chennai Corporation said the civic body would initiate action if the HR&CE wrote to it.

“We conduct periodic raids among wholesalers, dealers and distributors and seize bags that are less than 40 microns thick. We target the source rather than roadside vendors. If need be, we can still conduct a specific drives around places of worship,” he said.

Around 50 large temples have implemented a ban on use of plastic bags on their premises

 
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