The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought replies from key environmental and civic authorities over severe pollution in a lake located near Perumal Koil Street, off Velachery 100-feet road in Chennai, which has reportedly turned into a mosquito-breeding ground choked with sewage, algae, and filth.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the lake’s deteriorating condition, a bench comprising Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member Dr. A. Senthil Vel noted that the situation raises serious concerns under the Environment (Protection) Act, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, and the Solid Waste Management Rules.
The newspaper article, cited by the tribunal in its June 5 order, revealed that residents of more than 50 houses in the vicinity are forced to live with a persistent stench. The blame, according to the report, was placed on the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), with residents claiming that unplugged sewage pipelines laid through the water body have been discharging waste directly into the lake.
The report also quoted a municipal worker who confirmed the presence of at least four sewage pipelines releasing effluents into the lake during garbage clearing operations.
“The article prima facie discloses violation of environmental norms and failure of civic bodies to prevent the degradation of the water body,” the NGT observed.
The tribunal has impleaded the regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the CMWSSB, and the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation as respondents in the case. Notices have been issued to all parties for filing their responses.
The matter has been listed for the next hearing on August 7 before the NGT’s Southern Zonal Bench in Chennai.
