🚨🌍 Big news in Kodungaiyur! 🚫 The proposed waste-to-energy plant is stirring up a storm, and environmental groups are NOT happy about it. They’re calling out the Union government for trying to scrap public hearings and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for these projects. 🤨
On October 3, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) dropped a draft notification saying facilities like waste-to-energy plants and landfills won’t need prior environmental clearance anymore. They’re labeling these as “Essential Environmental Services.” But is that true? 🤔
They argue that these waste management setups are crucial for protecting our health and reducing pollution. But critics aren’t buying it. Groups like Poovulagin Nanbargal are demanding the exemption be pulled back. They warn that WTE plants can be super harmful and have shown in cities like Chennai and Delhi that they damage the environment and our health. 🏥⚠️
“Without mandatory environmental checks, it feels like communities, especially those hit hardest by these projects, are being silenced,” they said. 🗣️
The National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice (NACEJ) is also on the warpath, claiming this reclassification of WTE incinerators to a softer “blue” category is misleading. They’re basically saying these plants generate toxic waste, which contradicts the government’s claims that they’re clean. 💔🌫️
Chythenyen D.K. from the Centre for Financial Accountability highlights that groups are rallying together to oppose this rebranding. “We’re launching a postcard campaign against this blue categorization of WTEs. It’s a big deal because it could harm health and damage the livelihoods of millions of waste workers,” he stated. 📬✊
Stay tuned, because this fight for our environment is far from over! 💪🌱 #WasteToEnergy #EnvironmentalJustice #FightForOurPlanet
Priyam Gera