Civic body, PCB told to step up monitoring at demolition sites

SLMC finds that suggestions on dust mitigation are not being implemented

A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai (left), Chairman of the State Monitoring Committee on Solid Waste Management of the National Green Tribunal, visiting the demolition sites at Maradu on Monday.

The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on solid waste management formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Maradu municipality, the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and the district administration to step up monitoring of the four apartment demolition sites at Maradu and ensure strict compliance with its earlier directives to control the dust from the debris.

On Monday, SLMC chairman A.V. Ramakrishna Pillai met the NGT-constituted sub-committee tasked with overseeing debris removal. The committee, comprising PCB officials, the Maradu municipality secretary, the District Collector and the Fort Kochi Revenue Divisional Officer, had been asked to submit a preliminary report on dust mitigation measures taken to the SLMC by February 6, a PCB official said.

Mr. Pillai inspected the sites on Monday and found that the committee’s directions from its meeting last month were still not being implemented. The SLMC had suggested higher curtains surrounding the sites, intensifying the sprinkling of water and strictly ensuring that debris is transported in covered vehicles. An action plan prepared by the agency removing the debris and approved by the municipality and PCB has also not been submitted to the SLMC yet.

‘No filtering mechanism’

“Authorities were also asked earlier to ensure that leachate, particularly from sprinkling of water near Golden Kayaloram which is closest to the waterbody, does not enter the water. But no filtering mechanism has been set up at the site yet to prevent the leachate from draining into the lake,” said Mr. Pillai.

He told the sub-committee that CCTVs should be set up for regular monitoring and uncovered vehicles found transporting debris must be seized. The committee was asked to ensure that the debris was not used for unauthorised landfilling.

Mr. Pillai pointed out that it was the responsibility of the municipality to implement the directions in a time-bound manner, while the PCB must closely monitor debris removal. “After the SLMC has received a report from the sub-committee, we will report to the tribunal, which will decide on the action to be taken,” he said.

PCB officials said plans were afoot to set up air quality monitoring systems at the four sites.

Meanwhile, Achyut Joseph of Prompt Enterprises, the agency handling debris removal, maintained that an action plan on the number of loads to be transported and the dumping sites had already been submitted to the municipality around three weeks ago.