The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on Thursday collected soil samples from a private land at Semanampathy, near Anamalai, on the Tamil Nadu – Kerala border where garbage, which was allegedly brought from Kerala, was dumped in April this year.
The samples were collected as part of the proceedings of a case which the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) registered based on a report 'Dumping of garbage foiled near Anamalai, trucks seized' carried by The Hindu on April 9.
A team led by P. Manimaran, District Environmental Engineer, Coimbatore south, inspected the place and collected samples, which will be examined at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
The samples will be tested to check the nature of pollution or contamination caused to the soil and the groundwater, to ascertain the damage caused to the environment and identify persons from whom compensation will have to be recovered.
TNPCB had submitted that apart from the incident at Semanampathy, a similar dumping was reported in Tenkasi in August this year.
In its latest order given in November, the NGT expressed its dissatisfaction regarding the manner in which reports were filed before the Bench on behalf of Kerala government.
The NGT order, issued by judicial member Justice K. Ramakrishnan and expert member K. Satyagopal, has directed TNPCB, Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the Chief Secretary, Kerala, to file reports before the tribunal on or before December 8.
