COIMBATORE: The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has ordered the civic body to implement source segregation and stop dumping unsegregated waste at the dump yard. The Tamil Nadu pollution control board submitted its report of the ground water samples collected from the residential areas surrounding the Vellalore dump yard in which they found that the water was contaminated beyond permissible limits and mainly contained contaminants from the waste dumped by the civic body.As per the TNPCB report, total dissolved solids (TDS) are a major pollutant in the ground water at Vellalore which is due to the leachate (residue) from the municipal solid waste dump yard. The report stated that the Coimbatore corporation should take up adequate steps to stop ground water pollution. The department has also asked the civic body to dispose the existing stored waste in the dump yard and treat the daily generation without accumulation.The civic body will have to ensure only segregated waste reaches the Vellalore dumpyard. The existing 19 lakh tonnes of waste that is lying untreated at the dump yard should be closed using scientific method. The civic body cannot dump new unsegregated waste at the dump yard from now on. It should ensure that source segregation is implemented in all 100 wards of the city. They should also set up a wealth to energy plant at the dump yard to mage the remaining 500 tonnes of waste that gets dumped every day. An action plan should to be submitted regarding this before the next hearing which is scheduled on July 28.Civic body officials said that they were already on the path of these suggestions. "In the past few years, we have worked with city NGOs and implemented source segregation in many wards. We have extended it to 50 wards. We will slowly implement it to other wards as well. We have started the process. As per norms, we will set up a two-member team for every 250 houses who will ensure waste is segregated at the ward level itself. This way, only segregated waste will reach Vellalore," said an official.Saravana Kumar, executive engineer, in-charge, JNNURM and West Zone said, "We will give the existing concessioner 500 tonnes segregated waste and request them to increase the capacity. We will also work closely with the Tamil Nadu pollution control board who will take up a monitory role in this issue. We will hold a meeting with NGOs, concessioners and civic body officials and come up with plans to implement the court's suggestions as soon as possible."V Easwaran of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam who is one of the petitioners said that this was a victory for the struggles undergone by the people of Vellalore. "The civic body has always boasted of implementing everything but has not taken any steps to treat waste in the last decade. We had filed the case in 2013 and in the past five years, the ground water quality has not improved but only deteriorated. They made presentations and painted a different picture but the truth finally is out," he said.KS Mohan, secretary, Kurichi Vellalore pollution prevention action committee, another petitioner said, "Source segregation should have been implemented earlier itself. They need to understand that just by cleaning R S Puram and Race Course, the city does not become clean. The existing contractor has also not taken any steps to make compost or treat the waste. We are hopeful that at elast now, steps would be taken. Before, July 28 the civic body should come up with a comprehensive plan.

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