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Time of India
21-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
North Chennai residents to pitch greener alternatives to WtE plant
Chennai: With growing resistance to the proposed waste-to-energy (WtE) plant at Kodungaiyur, the Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Associations (FNCRWA) is preparing to submit a detailed proposal advocating environmentally sustainable waste management practices. At the heart of their campaign is the call to abandon the incinerator-based model in favour of decentralized, non-polluting systems. Drawing from working models in Kerala and other states, the federation has proposed biogas generation at the household and community level, city-wide decentralized composting, plastic recycling centres, and Resource Recovery Centres (RRCs) to sort and manage waste before it reaches landfills. Last week, the federation and allied environmentalists submitted a petition to mayor Priya, requesting that the WtE plant be scrapped. The mayor, while acknowledging public opposition, asked them to provide an actionable plan outlining viable alternatives, particularly for handling non-recyclable plastics. Since then, FNCRWA worked on a strategy paper that will be formally submitted to Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) next month. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Hamburg: GEERS sucht 700 Testhörer für Hörgeräte ohne Zuzahlung GEERS Undo "Kerala's success with household-level biogas units shows that we don't have to burn waste to manage it," said FNCRWA president T K Shanmugam. "Instead of one massive plant, Chennai can invest in 1,000 smaller composting units and recycling hubs spread across the city." The federation says that incineration not only generates toxic emissions but also leaves behind large volumes of ash that need further disposal. Environmentalist Geo Damien from Poovulagin Nanbargal said that at least 10% of Chennai's plastic waste cannot be recycled or incinerated efficiently. "That fraction alone would produce 300 tonnes of toxic ash. Instead of burning it, the city can either isolate it in secure landfills or send it to cement factories where it can be co-processed with minimal residue. " FNCRWA says the shift to sustainable methods is not only technically feasible but essential for the health and future of North Chennai residents, who have long borne the burden of the city's waste.
New Indian Express
15-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
‘Drop WTE plant, go for zero-waste initiatives'
CHENNAI: The Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Association (FNCRWA) submitted a petition to Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Mayor R Priya on Friday demanding the withdrawal of the proposed Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant in Kodungaiyur. FNCRWA noted that Kerala's model of decentralised waste management offers a safer alternative and urged GCC to move towards zero-waste initiatives instead of WTE plants. The association has instead proposed an ecological park, research libraries, and other public infrastructure on 350 acres, which includes the 75-acre site proposed for WTE plant and 275 acres of Kodungaiyur dumpyard to be reclaimed through biomining. The petition follows a human chain protest held by FNCRWA on May 25. In response to the protest, the GCC assured that the WTE plant would only proceed after public consultation and environmental clearance, claiming it would adopt scientific methods to avoid groundwater infiltration. However, it is also cited that WTE plants in India, including in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pimpri Chinchwad, are running successfully. While the petition acknowledged GCC's assurance on monitoring, it stated that similar promises were made elsewhere, only to be broken after operations. Plants in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pimpri-Chinchwad have proven to be bitter lessons. FNCRWA pointed to an NGT report that highlighted leachate from the Jawahar Nagar WTE plant contaminating 18 lakes in Hyderabad and polluting the groundwater. Quoting CSIR-NEERI findings, the petition warned of cancer risks from incinerator emissions. They also criticised comparisons to Tokyo and Paris, noting that North Chennai's population density is four times that of Tokyo, and the area is already burdened with industrial pollution. They also highlighted that the proposed site for WTE is a wetland and vital flood catchment zone, home to 54 bird species, making it unsuitable for a WTE plant under environmental law. 'We seek development, not destruction,' the petition read. 'We are not against development projects by the GCC, but projects that destroy natural resources and public health should not be implemented,' it added.
New Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
8,000 residents join hands in protest against waste plant in Kodungaiyur
CHENNAI: More than 8,000 residents, led by the Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Association (FNCRWA), organised a human chain protest on Sunday against the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Kodungaiyur, citing fears of pollution and long-term health risks. The 4.5km-long protest extended from Sivasakthi Amman Temple in Ezhil Nagar, Kodungaiyur, to the Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College signal in Vyasarpadi. As part of the protest, residents also signed a declaration urging the government to uphold Article 21 of the Constitution (right to life), citing threat to public health due to toxins, dioxins and furans that may be released by the plant. GCC councillors from CPI, CPIM, MDMK, INC, and VCK, and Dr S Janakarajan (president, South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies), Carnatic vocalist and activist T M Krishna, and others joined the protest. In Kodungaiyur, 352 acres of land is currently being used for waste dumping. GCC is currently carrying out biomining operations at the site, processing 2,000 tonnes of legacy waste every day. It has now proposed to establish a WTE plant to burn 2,100 tonnes of waste daily. However, the residents of North Chennai have been opposing the WTE plant, stating that the area is already overburdened with pollution from numerous chemical industries. Protesters have also urged the GCC to reclaim the landfill through biomining and develop public amenities in the reclaimed land. T K Shanmugam, FNCRWA president, said, 'The firm chosen for the Kodungaiyur WTE project runs a similar plant in Hyderabad, where residents reported skin diseases, infertility, and groundwater contamination due to the release of toxic pollutants from the plant. In Paris, too, studies found dangerous dioxin levels in farm eggs near a similar plant. This project is a public health hazard and must be withdrawn.' AIADMK to stage protest on June 2 in Chennai CHENNAI: AIADMK cadres will stage a demonstration in zone 4 of the Chennai Corporation on June 2, urging the Tamil Nadu government to drop the proposed waste-to-energy plant at Kodungaiyur dump yard as it would make North Chennai a 'poisonous place'. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, in a statement, said the incineration of waste at the dump yard leads to the area being engulfed in smoke every day, severely affecting the residents and people who pass through the locality. Palaniswami said the demonstration is also to urge the state government to complete quickly the crematorium work in Kodungaiyur and flyover project on Manali Road in Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar.
