CHENNAI: Residents say villages are not garbage dumps, garbage disposal units should be removed

Chennai: Residents of Vengadamangalam do not want new waste disposal units to be set up in their village as their area is already grappling with a dump yard. They said 50 acres of government property in their village is being used as a dump yard, causing several health issues among the residents. Vengadamangalam village is located near Kandigai and falls under Chengalpattu district. There are over 4,000 families in the village. “Our village is becoming a dumping yard, our groundwater is getting polluted, the air is getting polluted and the children here are suffering from several diseases,” lamented Sivaraman, a longtime resident. “Even the land prices are going down drastically as people are hesitant to buy any property near the dump yard.” The water in the Agaram lake (located near the dump yard) has turned black and is unfit for use, residents said. They also checked the air quality in the village and found it to be very polluted and not suitable for living. Many residents have started leaving the village due to the dump yard, bringing the real estate market to a standstill. Vishwanathan, an activist from Chitlapakkam, said that setting up an incinerator without proper maintenance would be highly risky. “A small incinerator was set up in Chitlapakkam in 2020 and we protested and got it removed. If an incinerator is being set up, the Pollution Control Board should check if all procedures have been followed and ensure that the ash is also disposed of every day,” he said. Kalyani Ravi, president of Vengadamangalam panchayat, said they have been protesting for years to remove the dump yard from the village. “We will not allow the corporation to set up any plant here. It is difficult to walk on the roads without wearing a mask or covering one’s nose because of the foul smell coming from the dump yard. The government should shift the dump yard somewhere else and use the land for some other purpose,” she said.