Chennai: School students became the field inspectors, literally. Be it chronicling the civic grievances in the respective zones or formulating a solution through an apt comparison, students from various private and government schools presented effective models for a model Chennai Corporation. Organised by Goethe-Institute, Chennai, as part of German Students’ Week 2016 celebrations, the competition was attended by a few corporation schools too.
Class 11 students of Presidency Girls Higher Secondary School worked in Thiru. Vi. ka. Nagar zone and subtly portrayed the problem of open stormwater drains resulting in pollution of water bodies. “It is the negligence of the people that resulted in poor waste management here. Slum dwellers of Pulianthope and Otteri know nothing about source segregation and water management,” said the students.
Proposing a Singapore model in which wastewater can be completely recycled, students opined that the civic body should levy water tax depending on the usage. “Used water is treated through many scientific processes in Singapore: Microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection, producing an outcome of high-grade recycled water, consumed by 30 per cent of Singapore population. In a collective model proposed by the students of Chennai High School from Vannia Teynampet, they urged the residents to go green and organic. Students belonging to 7th, 8th and 9th grade enthusiastically briefed about the eco-friendly projects embraced by them in their school.
Supported by their headmistress, K. Revathy, the students went to the tail end areas of Teynampet zone to understand the ground reality: functioning of government hospitals, the magnitude of air and sound pollutions and on the awareness front. “People in many localities threw a sarcastic smile and teased us for campaigning against wasting water and planting trees. But they were willing to listen, as we did not give up visiting them,” said the students.
