Corporation starts drive to curb illegal dumping of construction waste

Will install cameras in various places to identify offenders

The Chennai Corporation has started installing cameras at various places to monitor and curb illegal dumping of construction debris.

The estimated number of illegal debris dumpsites is more than 500 across all 200 wards of the city. But the civic body is focused on dumpsites along waterways like the Cooum, Adyar and the Buckingham Canal. It has installed cameras that will track the vehicles using number plate recognition. “We will identify the violators and impose fines on them,” said an official of the Corporation.

Recycling debris

After regulating illegal dumping, the civic body will commission facilities for recycling construction debris as part of a scientific waste management system. Construction debris includes non-hazardous materials such as soil, brick, plaster, concrete, masonry, plastic, electrical wiring and metals generated from construction, remodelling, repair and demolition of structures. The Corporation has not been able to identify adequate space with proper connectivity for the dumping of construction debris in each of the 15 zones in the past few years.

After demarcation of dumping space a few years ago, the civic body asked residents to dump debris only in the designated areas. But most of the 8,000 tonnes of construction and demolition debris generated every day has reportedly been dumped along waterways. The Corporation plans to remove debris dumped in waterbodies and restore them to their original state.