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Time of India
21-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
It's waste that flows in Coimbatore's Sanganoor canal
Coimbatore: Once a free-flowing canal that adorned the landscape of Coimbatore city, Sanganoor canal, filled with waste and sewage, today scars the cityscape. There was a time when the canal used to surge whenever heavy rain lashed Chinnathadagam area. Today, the canal has become a dumping ground for the city folk. It was just two weeks ago that the city corporation desilted the canal for a length of 10 kilometres at a cost of Rs40 lakh as part of monsoon preparedness. However, the canal now looks like it wasn't desilted for years together. The city corporation could not be squarely blamed for the situation. While the city corporation has intensified door-to-door garbage collection, a section of people continue to dump old mattresses, cots, sofas, carton boxes, thermocol and used electronic gadgets into Sanganoor canal. Originating from Chinnathadagam area, the canal flows through Thadagam valley before it enters the city and travels for 11 kilometres, and drains into the Noyyal river near Singanallur. In 2021, the city corporation had commenced the project to rejuvenate the canal. S Sivaraja, secretary, Kousika Neerkarangal, an NGO, said the Sanganoor canal was today reduced to a sewage channel. "It was once known for heavy inflow whenever it rained in Thadagam valley. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 임플란트, 지금 시작하세요 [자세히 보기] 임플란트 더 알아보기 Undo Unchecked red soil mining and growth of brick kilns in Thadagam area since the early 1990s reduced the flow of water to the canal. Taking advantage of the situation, people started encroaching upon the canal bund and started dumping all kinds of waste into it. " He said the corporation's temporary action plans to prevent the choking of canals weren't enough to save Sanganoor canal. "Door-to-door waste collection doesn't include scrap materials, which eventually end up in the canal. Adequate licensed shredders should be deployed across the city to effectively carry out recycling of waste. There should be proper surveillance cameras and a fence." C Prashanth, partner, Recompose Recycling Pvt Ltd, said while 90% of the waste materials found in the Sanganoor canal would not be accepted by scrap dealers, those were valuable for waste management handlers. "Most of the residents give old furniture, mattresses and electronic gadgets to scrap dealers, who do not process the same. Such waste ends up in the canal. Non-refurbishable beds and sofas should be cut and sent for repurposing. For instance, the cotton and coir in the mattress could be repurposed. While some dry waste that is non-recyclable could be shredded and used as refuse-derived fuel at cement factories. Diapers, sanitary pads and similar items should be incinerated. Thermocol could also be recycled and is a major raw material for manufacturing buttons." When contacted, a senior corporation official said CCTVs, along with warning boards, had been placed in areas of the canal where garbage dumping was rampant. "We are working on identifying a permanent solution to the issue."
New Indian Express
30-04-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Tree transplantation begins ahead of Avinashi-Mettupalayam road widening
COIMBATORE: In a bid to improve road infrastructure while preserving the environment, the state highways department officials, in collaboration with Green Care NGO, has started the tree transplantation drive on the Mettupalayam-Avinashi stretch. A total of 262 trees are set to be transplanted and around 1,400 trees will be razed down to make way for the road widening project works. The state government has sanctioned Rs 238 crore under the Chief Minister's Rural Road Development Programme (CMRDP) to upgrade the 38-kilometre stretch between Avinashi and Mettupalayam into a four-lane highway. The project spans 13 km in Tiruppur district and 25 km in Coimbatore district, with land acquisition already initiated in three locations. As road widening works are under way, environmental concerns have been brought to the fore. The officials in Tiruppur district have already felled as many as 470 trees on the Avinashi-Annur stretch. A survey conducted in Coimbatore district identified 1,604 trees that obstruct the expansion on the Mettupalayam-Annur stretch. Of these, 1,342 trees are set to be felled, while the remaining will require only branch trimming. However, not all trees will be lost. Following an inspection by the district green committee, officials were advised that 262 of the trees could be salvaged through transplantation. Taking this recommendation forward, the state highways department, in collaboration with the environmental NGO 'Green Care', launched a tree replantation drive at Kanjapalli on Monday. On the first day, around six trees were carefully uprooted and relocated. Speaking to TNIE , Green Care founder Syed explained the meticulous process involved in tree transplantation. "A majority of the trees on the stretch are Tamarind trees which cannot be transplanted as its success rate is very low. So we have avoided them and are transplanting other tree varieties. The replantation effort includes native species such as Poovarasu, Mandharai, Neem, Pungan, Ayan, and Arasu." Meanwhile, the Coimbatore district green committee has demanded that the 40-km Mettupalayam-Avinashi stretch be converted into a green corridor with adequate tree plantation on both sides. S Sivaraja, a member of the district committee and Kowshika Neer Karangal Trust's secretary told TNIE , "We have asked the officials to ensure that 10 saplings are planted for each tree cut by the highways department. Also, we have urged the officials to cut the trees only after they plant all the saplings. Since the road was covered with lush green trees and played a vital role in the environment, we have demanded the district collector to take necessary steps to convert the 40-km stretch into a green corridor by planting trees on both sides, about 5-6 ft from the edge of the road. The collector has assured us to assess the matter and take necessary steps."
