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New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Coliform scare in Chennai waterbodies as corporation shies away from collecting fine
CHENNAI: The city corporation has now revised the fines for illegal sewage connections to the city's storm water drains, which eventually make their way into the major waterbodies. However, it remains to be seen if the fines would be enforced, as despite a 2017 amendment of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 allowing for fines from Rs 5,000 (residential) to Rs 2 lakh (commercial), the corporation officials told TNIE they have not collected any fine yet. Setting the alarm bells ringing, a recent test on the water sample drawn from a stormwater drain in Thirumangalam showed faecal coliform levels were five times higher than the permissible limit prescribed by the TNPCB. The test was conducted by civil contractor R Rama Rao. According to the private laboratory report dated July 2, the sample contained 490 MPN/100ml of faecal coliform, higher than the TNPCB's permissible limit of 100 MPN/100ml. In addition to microbial contamination, the chemical parameters revealed the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) was measured at 490 mg/l, almost 10 times the acceptable limit of 50 mg/l, indicating a high level of organic pollutants that can severely reduce oxygen levels in water and endanger aquatic life. The Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) was found to be 185 mg/l, far exceeding the prescribed limit of 10 mg/l. Other test results including Total Suspended Solids (TSS) was at 120 mg/l, against the standard of 30 mg/l, and a total hardness level of 340 mg/l, further indicating poor water quality. The sample also emitted disagreeable odour and showed a high colour intensity of 90 Hazen units, which measures the 'yellowishness' of water.
Time of India
7 days ago
- General
- Time of India
‘N Chennai thermal plants violate norms in winter'
Chennai: The North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) stage I and II and NTECL plants in the Ennore-Manali region violated emission norms for nearly 45 days in winter, says a study by Save Ennore Creek Campaign. Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's (TNPCB) real-time air pollution monitoring mechanism proved ineffective, as all three industrial plants under observation recorded zero data for a certain period during winter, it said. It used data from Nov 2024-Jan 2025, considered winter in Chennai, as the ambient particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels were found higher than annual averages during these months. It also studied mission levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides during the period. While emission data was not available for 96% of the period 88.32 days for both units, which itself is a violation, emission was beyond permissible limits for the remaining days. NTECL's SO2 emissions were beyond permissible limits for 80% of the period, while nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions were 13% and 14%. NCTPS stage I also had invalid data for nearly 33% of the period 30.36 days while it recorded a violation of emission norms for particulate matter for 49 hours for one of its units. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai TNPCB chairperson M Jayanthi said she was "yet to read the report" and that she would verify the source of the data. Save Ennore Creek Campaign said it was live data of the Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS). "We sourced it from the TNPCB's CARE Air website," said Durga Moorthy, who compiled it. The campaign has recommended that the state govt hold regulatory bodies accountable for failing to monitor emission violations and urged TNPCB to take strict regulatory action against thermal plants for violating monitoring and emission norms. Responding to the emission report, TNPGCL chairman J Radhakrishnan said when the plant reports outages, the emission data will not be extended to Care Air Centre of TNPCB which is mentioned as Invalid data hours in the report. "In the assessment period from Nov 2024 to Jan 2025, annual overhaul of unit I, unit III of NCTPS-I and unit I of NCTPS-II were carried out. In addition to this, forced outages of units also occurred and the same was reported to TNPCB. The emission parameters for the remaining period are all available on the TNPCB site and are within the limit except SO2, for which the FGD is proposed to be installed as per the latest guidelines," he said
The Hindu
7 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Study of pollution data from Ennore thermal power plants shows violations
A study by the Save Ennore Creek campaign has found severe emission violations by thermal power plants (TPPs), based on the real-time air pollution data of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) from November 2024 to January 2025. The report 'Breathless in Ennore - 2025', conducted by Durga Moorthy, established the non-compliance with statutory emission norms using online continuous emission monitoring systems (OCEMS) as directed by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The study of data from three power plants, including North Chennai thermal power station 1 and 2 and the NTPC Tamilnadu Energy company limited (NTECL), has shown more than 50% violation in emission standards. The study took hourly average of continuous stack emission monitoring data from TPPs in Ennore and was assessed from TNPCB's Care Air Centre (CAC) for three months during winter. The CAC portal checks parameters of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and Sulfur dioxide (SO2) that ought to be monitored for each stack emission source. A total of 24 stack parameters were studied. In NCTPS-1, overall non compliance was 23% with parameters for SO2 at 23%, NOx - 23% and PM - 22%. For NCTPS-2 , with two units, it indicated 100% overall non-compliance and finally, NTECL had an overall non-compliant of 40% emission level. The NTECL, which has three units, non-compliance was recorded at 95% for SO2, 13% for NOx and 14% for PM. Responding to the data, Tangedco said in a press release that during unit outages of the NCTPS 1 and 2 the parameters would be available and the data of the PM, SO2 and NOx, would be available in the CAC portal. of TNPCBAlso during the assessment period of three months mentioned in the report, an annual overhaul was carried out for Unit 1 and Unit 3 of NTCPS-1 and Unit 1 for NCTPS-2. As per the TNPCB website all the parameters have been found to be within the permissible limit, except SO2. It is proposed to instal an FGD as per the Centre's latest guidelines, to correct this value. Tangedco said the issues raised in the report regarding stack emission non compliance and data quality from thermal power plants will be analysed too. However, it also pointed out that several measures were being taken as per norms of equipping the stacks of thermal plants with OCEMs, inbuilt alarm and regulatory mechanism to monitor and automatically alert if the emission exceeds permissible limits and constitution of monitoring team for collecting and submitting OCEMS, as per NGT orders. The Tangedco is also putting in place future improvements to control air pollution and emission through the strengthening of Internal validity checks to improve the detection and redressal of any invalid data, installation of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) and upgradation of electrostatic precipitator (ESP). A seasonal pollution strategy of developing season-specific mitigation protocols and real-time interventions during high-risk meteorological conditions is being worked put by TNPCB.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Most manjappai vending machines lie idle in Coimbatore
A manjappai vending machine. Photo by P Sreedharan COIMBATORE: Automatic cloth bag vending machines, introduced as part of an eco-friendly initiative under the Meendum Manjappai scheme, are lying idle in Coimbatore. The machines -- each costing approximately Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh -- was installed in 15 locations in the district, according to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) website. They were installed in places including the district collectorate, Gandhipuram bus stand, R S Puram Uzhavar Sandhai, the flower market on the Mettupalayam Road, Sulur and Pollachi. The machine's capacity ranges from 250 to 500 bags. Most of these machines are now non-functional and abandoned. The machines were installed to promote the use of cloth bags as a replacement for single-use plastic bags by the public. Despite an investment of more than Rs 10 lakh on these machines, public awareness about their existence remains low. As part of the campaign, an app integrated with GIS mapping of these machines was launched for public use. TOI visited the flower market, Gandhipuram bus stand, RS Puram Uzhavar Sandhai and collectorate to check the functional status of these machines. The machine on the collectorate premises had a few bags but was non-functional due to a disconnected electricity supply. The situation at the Gandhipuram bus stand was not different, with the machine showing clear signs of neglect. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo R Gomathi Devi, a commuter at Gandhipuram bus stand, said, "For more than a year, I have rarely seen this machine functioning. I believe many people are unaware of its existence. Regardless of usage, regular maintenance would attract people. Even if the machine is operational, its dusty appearance creates an impression of being defunct." A flower vendor at the bus stand added, "The machine's placement near the bus office is not ideal. It should be installed in areas with high purchasing activity like the Crosscut Road. This would encourage people to choose cloth bags over plastic covers." Responding to these concerns, a TNPCB official said, "While TNPCB handles the installation of machines, their maintenance is the local administration's responsibility. Corporation or panchayat should maintain it. We can inspect the condition based on public complaints, which can also be registered through the app."
New Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Ennore thermal power plants breach air pollution norms, says report
CHENNAI: A new report by the Save Ennore Creek Campaign on Wednesday has revealed that Ennore's thermal power plants violated air pollution norms or failed to provide valid data nearly 49% of the time during the winter season (November 2024 to January 2025), exacerbating health risks for local communities and raising questions about the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's (TNPCB) regulatory response. The analysis, titled 'Breathless in Ennore', studied publicly available real-time stack emission data of three major thermal plants—North Chennai Thermal Power Station Stage I (NCTPS I), Stage II (NCTPS II), and NTECL Vallur, sourced from TNPCB's CARE Air Centre (CAC). The findings show NCTPS II had zero compliance, with invalid or missing data 96% of the time, and emissions in the remaining 4% of time exceeding all norms. NTECL Vallur violated sulphur dioxide (SO₂) limits for 80% of the winter, while NCTPS I was non-compliant for 23% of the period. Durga Moorthy, author of the report, said, 'When (on average) 49% of the time, there's either no reliable data or emissions exceed the legal limit, it means regulators are blindfolded and communities are exposed.' Chennai's winter weather worsens ground-level pollution due to temperature inversions, where cooler air traps pollutants close to the surface. According to the report, winter PM2.5 levels in Chennai are 3–40% higher than annual averages. With unregulated pollution in Ennore, the local impact is likely far worse.
