Siva V Meyyanathan state minister for climate change and environment announced that the Tamil Nadu government aims to establish a separate solid waste management organization similar to the one in Goa to deal with solid waste.
The minister also revealed that the state established a special action plan to combat air pollution for the cities of Chennai Madurai Trichy and Thoothukudi which had greater levels of ambient air pollution than other towns.
Meyyanathan told the media that this agency will be led by a separate IAS officer and solely formulate policies and action against local governments and private companies that break solid waste regulations. He said they are talking to the chief minister about it and will put it in place shortly.
He informed that in five districts of Chennai Vellore Salem Namakkal and Tirupur they have already taken several steps to reduce air and water pollution including the construction of sewage treatment plants zero liquid discharge in industries and the establishment of flying squads to ensure solid waste is not dumped in water bodies.
The Chennai air action plan aims to minimize emissions and take steps to prevent dust from resurfacing in crowded places.
The climate change and environment minister said that a committee has been formed to investigate air pollution in the North Chennai area where reports of increased ambient air pollution have been received and that TNPCB would present its findings to the government in a week.
He added that the TNPCB had over 405 industries on its radar with real-time monitoring.
Six schools in Chennai were awarded the ECOmmute School designation for using pollution-reducing commuting solutions for their pupils and employees.
