Chennai: Emphasising that the issue of barricading river boundaries to avoid any further encroachments and preventing dumping of garbage and solid wastes in lakes and riverbeds need urgent attention, the Madras high court on Wednesday directed the state government to ensure that there is no further encroachment in water bodies nor is dumping of garbage and solid wastes permitted.
A Division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana gave the directive while disposing of miscellaneous petitions from Manuneedhi Consumer and Environmental Protection Centre, represented by its president, A. Muniraja.
The issue of barricading would be examined in the main petition itself, the bench said and posted the matter for further hearing for February 9. The bench also ordered notice, returnable by four weeks, to the State government on the main PIL which sought a directive to take steps to identify and preserve the entire length and breadth of Cooum, Adyar river, Buckingham Canal and other canals which carry surplus water through the city into the sea. The measures sought included fencing the boundaries and to take all steps to prevent flooding in future due to surplus or excess water flowing through such rivers.
On the issue of appointing a committee of experts in water management and environmental concerns to conduct a survey of the geography of rivers passing through the city and make suggestions for effective utilisation of the same towards draining of flood waters, the Bench directed the State government to examine the matter and incorporate this aspect also in the counter affidavit to be filed in the main petition.
The Bench said the aspect of desilting the entire breadth of rivers and deepening them by removing slush and filth, which has accumulated recently, should be urgently examined.
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