COIMBATORE: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued strict directions to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), ordering immediate steps to stop the dumping of fresh municipal waste at the Vellalore dumpyard in Coimbatore. The order follows a recent joint inspection that exposed multiple violations of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2016, and raised concerns over environmental hazards and fire risks at the site.
As per the inspection conducted on July 2, Coimbatore generates nearly 1,200 tonnes of solid waste every day, of which around 110 tonnes remain untreated and is directly dumped at Vellalore. While the city operates 36 micro composting centres, several biogas plants remain non-functional, forcing an additional 50 tonnes of waste daily into the dump yard. Officials also found that though waste segregation is claimed to be at 90%, much of the waste arriving at the processing facility remains mixed.
The CPCB report highlighted that many of the city's waste treatment units, including composting and vermicomposting facilities, are functioning without valid authorisation as their permits expired in 2019. Moreover, heaps of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and unsold compost, totaling several thousand tonnes, are choking up the site. The composting process itself was found to be unscientific, with heaps of garbage piled up instead of being processed in proper windrows.