Chennai: One of the perennial problems of Velacheri is solid waste management. Even if all the residents take an effort to follow segregation at source, it will not prove beneficial if the waste is left untreated at the dumping yard. This is why a micro-composting centre (MCC) in Velacheri will be beneficial.
It will be helpful in treating tonnes of wet waste collected from houses. Also, manure can be processed from it.
Many gated communities in the area have been following waste segregation and have procured composting unit to treating their own waste organically. This has helped them in many ways and taken the burden off the civic body.
It may be noted that the efforts by the Chennai Corporation to set up an MCC in Bharathi Nagar, Velacheri met with opposition from the neighbourhood a few months ago.
Secretary of Tansi Nagar Welfare Association, M Balakrishnan said, “The project was opposed as residents thought it would lead to noise and air pollutions. But that is due to lack of awareness. There are MCCs in Saidapet and Pallikaranai. I have visited the plant at Pallikaranai. There is no smell. It is done in a systematic and clean manner.”
M Jagatha, animator for Ward 179, said, “Earlier it was decided to have an MCC at Baharthi Nagar. Now we have dropped the idea and in a month’s time, an MCC for Velacheri area will be opened at Saidapet. It is not necessary for a ward’s MCC to be located in the same area.”
The decision behind having Velacheri’s MCC at Saidapet is not clearly known. This could be to avoid problems with residents or due to lack of space.