CRRT should first stop sewage entering Cooum before taking-up cleaning activity
Cooum river
Chennai: The southern zone of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) to arrest 101 ‘identified’ sewage outfalls on priority to save Cooum from further degradation. The court has posted the next hearing to May 26.
The first Bench, comprising judicial member Justice M. Chockalingam and expert member P.S. Rao was hearing the PIL filed by P. Edwin Wilson. The Bench observed that the CRRT should first stop sewage entering Cooum before taking-up cleaning activity.
The Bench expressed disappointment over the affidavit filed by the Chennai Corporation, wherein the civic body washed-off its hands from Cooum restoration. Justice Chockalingam also expressed concern over the fast deteriorating health of Cooum river and inaction of state government in the regard.
Special government pleader Abdul Saleem submitted a status and detailed project report of the Cooum River Improvement Project worth Rs 604.77 crore. However, Justice Chockalingam was critical and said, “things may look rosy on paper, but what is critical is the good that happen on the ground”.
The Bench has asked CRRT to submit a chart on department-wise funds allocation, amount spent and the status of various projects undertaken in the next hearing. It has also ordered the representatives of Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board to be present during the next hearing without fail.
“Major chunk of funds are allocated to the Slum Clearance Board for eviction and resettlement of people affected, but there is no information what the Board is doing on it,” Justice Chockalingam told government pleader Abdul Saleem when the court was pleaded to order for eviction of encroachers.
Just a foul and noisome cesspool:
The historic Cooum river, which was once a lifeline to Old Madras, has become a subject of joke today. Whenever state governments come out with a new project to restore Cooum, whose monetary allocation understandably runs into crores of rupees for obvious reasons, people just say to themselves ‘not again’. Public at large no longer foresee a ‘clean’ Cooum. The last two generations have lived with the foul and noisome cesspool.
There are no proper records available on how much of tax payers’ money has drained into Cooum so far. All successive governments make tall promises and come out with new ideas and proposals to restore Cooum, but none of those projects is effective or probably not intended to be effective.
Once used as a source for drinking water, transportation and navigation under the British, the Cooum lost its well-being after harbor was built in Chennai in late 19th century, affecting its natural flow and getting filled-up with sand leading to stagnation. Of course, the constant pollution over the decades has literally choked it to death.
Rs 605 crore clean-up plan hinges on treatment plants:
According to rough estimates, every day 25-30 million litres of untreated sewage enters Cooum. The culprits include metro water and several local panchayats along its 70 km stretch who illegally let out untreated sewage and at times bring the waste in septic tanks into Cooum, says noted environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman.
The problem did not crop up recently. The industry, residents and successive government have been abusing the river for ages, doing nothing. Now, the problem has grown to such magnitude that whatever project that is envisaged is proving to be a utter waste of money and time.
Mr Jayaram said the state government’s latest project worth '604.77 crore on restoration of Cooum may turn out be a ‘wasted’ attempt for simple reason that the city doesn’t have enough infrastructures to treat the volume of sewage that is being generated daily.
The Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) has called for tenders to lay interceptor drains and modulators to block the outfalls from where sewage enters Cooum. “Fine, the interceptors are meant to take sewage to treatment plants. The problems is the capacity of sewage plants are way below the requisite capacity which means the sewage will have to go back into Cooum again. The government should first think of enhancing the capacity of treatment plants or build new ones. Also, try to bring all localities within the sewage network. Otherwise, it will be a waste exercise”.
The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board that is entrusted with the task of evicting encroachers and resettlement of slums all along the Cooum hasn’t showed much progress.
( Source : dc )
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