Chennai’s Waste-to-Energy Plant Plans Encounter Local Opposition

The Greater Chennai Corporation’s plans to establish waste-to-energy plants in the city to alleviate landfill congestion might face resistance from residents and their representatives in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi, where daily waste is disposed of. The Corporation Council has already passed a resolution for a waste-to-energy plant near the Kodungaiyur landfill, with administrative approval from the Tamil Nadu government expected soon.

However, locals are set to discuss the potential negative effects of the plant in a meeting on November 8. According to Corporation Chief Engineer N. Mahesan, the plant is planned to be constructed on a 40-acre site with a capacity of 21 MW, following a private-public partnership model. Concerns about health risks and air pollution related to waste incineration have prompted opposition from various groups, with calls for a zero-waste policy and concerns that such projects might increase health risks and pollution.

Residents near the Perungudi landfill also intend to protest the Corporation’s decision to start a waste-to-energy plant in their area, expressing fears of air and land pollution.