New
Indian Express: Coimbatore: Sunday, October 06, 2019
As
per RTI replies given by Geology and Mines, Pollution Control Board, Forest,
Revenue, Electricity departments, no clearances have been given
It
started with one, as it always does. Residents of Thadagam Valley recall how a
single brick kiln started operations in the Valley in the mid-1980s. By 1990,
the number doubled to two. These kilns were unlicensed, but also small in
scale, producing about 1,000 bricks a day. Residents did not mind. But as
nearby Coimbatore city developed, kilns mushroomed in the Valley, producing
bricks to meet a growing city’s demands. It was only in 2014, however, that
with growing availability and use of machinery did residents realise that
things had gotten out of hand.
Unlicensed
and unregulated, revenue department figures show 204 kilns now operating in the
Valley, each capable of producing 2.5 lakh bricks a day with a staff of just
30. More bricks means more digging of the distinctive red sand in the Valley,
causing, according to residents, an increase in pollution, human-animal
conflict and loss of groundwater. This September, residents TMS Rajendran and S
Ganesh filed a writ petition at the Madras High Court against the practice.
Last week, angered brick kiln owners are alleged to have stormed into their
houses to intimidate them, bringing the long-simmering issue to the fore. Unfortunately,
for the residents, officials have been slow to act and now, with the issue
capturing headlines, pointing fingers at one another.
The
Valley
Thadagam
Valley, situated along the Western Ghats, consists of five revenue villages
Chinna Thadagam, 24 Veerapandi Pirivu, Somayampalayam, 22 Nanjundapuram and
Pannimadai. All of these villages, except for Pannimadai, fall under the Hill
Area Conservation Authority (HACA). Hill area covers the land from where a hill
slope ends to where the forest begins. It is a buffer zone between a hill and a
plain. Any construction activity in these spaces requires HACA clearance.
However, brick kilns in HACA villages as part of the Thadagam Valley are seen
operating. They have caused huge variation in land due to the indiscriminate
red sand mining.
Activists
who have been protesting against the kilns point to a 2013 National Green
Tribunal order stating that even in patta land, red sand cannot be dug up
beyond 2 metres or 6.8 feet. In the Valley, red sand can be seen to have been
dug up to 80 to 120 feet.
The
impact
According
to Dr R Ramesh of Kanuvai, who has run a clinic in Thadagam valley for over 24
years, health disorders related to lungs, pancreas, kidney and liver have
increased among residents of the Valley over two decades. He also claimed, in his experience, there was an increase in
number of patients seeing him about subcutaneous tumours, hemoptysis (the
coughing up of blood), disorder of pancreas and livers.
“I
am seeing these problems among a cross-section of people. The number of cancer
cases has also been on the rise. Similarly there seem to be more diabetic
patients in the Valley, than among those in other areas. I don’t know why there
is a rise in diabetes given all the other problems are pollution-related,” he
said. However, he referred to a study done among people living close to
industrial Manali in Chennai as indicative.
On
September 29, when members of the brick manufacturers’ association barged into
the houses of Ganesan and Rajendran for filing the petition at court, Dr
Ramesh’s clinic was not left out. “They barged into my clinic as well and as I
was not there, threatened my staff,” he added. Deputy Director of Health
Department PG Bhanumathi admitted that the department had received many petitions
from the public about the health impact of brick kilns in the Valley.
“I
asked the Primary Health Officer in Thadagam, Thudiyalur to observe if there is
any variation in health of the people in the area. But, in the past month we
have not seen any abnormal increase of patient footfall. If there are
pollution-related problems, the Pollution Control Board is the right authority
to take any decision,” she said.
Her
response was typical for officialdom, which residents claim, has been turning a
blind eye to the kilns. “At places falling under HACA, for any activity aside
from agriculture no objection should be received from as many as 17 government
departments. But for the brick kilns in Thadagam Valley, as per RTI replies
given by Geology and Mines, Pollution Control Board, Forest, Revenue,
Electricity departments, no clearances have been given. But, the brick kilns
are functioning without interruption,” said Ganesh.
According
to his petition, 2,500 hectares of land, including patta and government lands,
were dug up by the brick kilns in the Valley. “Each brick kiln units has an
investment of `3 to `5 crore for machinery. To transport the red sand, around
600 trucks are being operated. Every day, they transport a minimum of 8,400
loads of red sand for the brick kilns,” he alleged.
In
the process, Velu Naicker, state secretary of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam,
alleged agricultural lands were being destroyed. K Ranganathan, a farmer from
22 Nanjundapuram, said the flow of rainwater was being disrupted. “With pits of
a depth up to 100 feet, flow of rainwater from Western Ghats to villages
through streams have been cut off. In the 1980s, we used to cultivate on my 3.5
acres of land by using water from a 150-foot well on the land. Now, I have put
two borewells sunk to the depth of 1,300ft. Still, I am unable to get enough
water,” he said.
K
Mohanraj, an environmental activist, concurred. “The Valley sprawls under the
Western Ghats. Naturally, it received heavy rainfall. But, due to red sand
mining, the streams in the Valley which join with the Noyyal River Basin have
been completely destroyed. Also, smoke from the kiln chambers is affecting
rainfall,” he said.
“The
deep pits made to mine red sand have caused wild elephants to stray from their
corridor, resulting in an increase in human-animal conflict,” said Velu
Naicker, adding that as many 176 check dams on water bodies in the Valley had
disappeared due to low-level of rainfall.
The
response
However,
there are signs that officialdom may be slowly waking up. Following opposition
from public and activists, the district administration conducted a special
joint meeting comprising officials from various departments, activists and
members from brick manufacturers’ association. The Revenue Divisional Officer
of Coimbatore North R Suresh announced that a special team from Chennai would
soon visit the Valley to conduct an inspection of mining by the brick kilns.
However, political response has been subdued at best. This is because most
members of the brick manufacturers’ association belong to one political party
or the other, resulting in silence or defensiveness from even elected
representatives.
According
to P Dharmaraj, president of the brick manufacturers association and AIADMK
functionary, everything activists said was untrue. “We follow rules. We pay
`75,000 as a compound tax to mines department,” he said. He claimed officials
had not questioned the business as it is a “tiny” industry. “But, we are ready
to get permission from the concerned authority,” he said, claiming they had not
known of HACA rules till now.
District
Forest Officer D Venkatesh has written a detailed letter to Collector K
Rajamani recently demanding he initiate action against red sand mining due to
increase in human-animal conflict. He said the digging in Thadagam along the
Western Ghats, was affecting wild animals, especially wild elephants who
frequently fall into the deep pits.
“We
have not given any permission to brick kilns. We have written about our
concerns. The action should be taken from Geology and Mines Department,” he
said. S Kalaiselvan, Regional Joint Director of Geology and Mines Department,
also said the department had not given any nod to the brick kilns. However, he
declined to comment on whether any action would be taken.