While the Union Government has complimented Tamil Nadu for the excellent waste disposal programme it has implemented and asked other States to replicate the same, neighbouring Kerala, ruled by the CPI(M) has found an easy way out to dispose off the waste generated from the State.
People in Kerala have started dumping a major portion of their waste into Tamil Nadu and this has generated a “waste war” between the two States. The two States are already engaged in a legal battle for the waters in Siruvani river.
“Everyday we come across 23 to 25 heavy duty trucks laden with waste entering Coimbatore from the border district of Palakkadu in Kerala. The consignment includes all kinds of waste including medical waste. This waste is dumped into plots of agricultural lands owned by poor farmers in Coimbatore villages,” said GK Nagaraj, president, Kongunadu Jananayaka Katchi, a political outfit which is actively engaged in all social issues in the region.
Nagaraj points out that non-availability of water has forced the farmers to stay off from agricultural operations of any kind. He is an engineer-turned-entrepreneur-turned politician. “This is being exploited by the agents who bring the waste and dump the same into the agricultural lands owned by these poor farmers. They are being paid some money for allowing the waste to be poured into their lands. These hapless farmers have been told by the agents that the waste would be the ideal fertiliser to increase the productivity of the land they own,” said Nagaraj.
He said this has caused widespread ecological damage in the region as water bodies as well as ground water are getting polluted because of the waste. “Kerala Government should make their own arrangement to dispose the waste and should not dump in into the neighbour’s backyard. This is not a good precedent,” he said.
Ramya Bharati, the young superintendent of police, Coimbatore, told this newspaper that a case has been registered against an entrepreneur who is bringing the bulk waste from Kerala. “He said he is engaged in recycling the waste and these are his raw materials. We are not sure about the kind of waste being brought from Kerala but we have registered a case against him for leasing the land to use it as a dumping yard,” said Bharati. She said she was not sure about the intensity of pollution as it was the responsibility of other agencies to ascertain such details.
Narendra Singh Tomar, the union minister for Panchayatti Raj and Rural Development had last week complimented Tamil Nadu for the excellent waste disposal programmed implemented in 9,000 village panchayaths in the State. “It is a model for the whole country and should be replicated across India,” the Minister said while addressing the officials of the BRICS (Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa) India participatory budgeting seminar at Kochi on Thursday..
Noted environmentalist Dr Nanditha Krishna, member, ICHR and honourary director, CPR Centre for Environmental Studies too expressed her anguish over the development. “Kerala is always resorting to this kind of activities when it is faced with serious problems. Earlier, they were planning to trans-ship the stray dogs in the State to Tamil Nadu. Now it is the turn of hazardous waste. We have to stop this legally,” said Krishna.