cuddalore online information

SPIC Pharma-one of the worst polluting unit in Cuddalore SIPCOT is closed as the company failed “to comply with the pollution control norms” fullstory>>

“SIPCOT units flouting pollution control norms”-The Hindu

CUDDALORE: Chemical units in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate here are flagrantly violating pollution control norms. Effluents are being discharged in a crude manner, posing health hazard and serious ecological problems, according to the State Legislative Assurance Committee.
….
The stench was so overpowering that a couple of committee members started vomiting. Despite persistent efforts by environmentalists, social activists and the judiciary pollution of all kinds — air, water and soil — laxity in enforcement had emboldened the units to violate the norms, he said full story>>

For more updates on SIPCOT pollution visit: http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/

Cuddalore, 1 August 2007: Another leak in the CUSECS pipeline from pump 2 to 3 was reported at about 2 pm yesterday from SIPCOT Cuddalore. The leak was reported from the pipeline 50 meters from the southern boundary near Ustad Biotech at Periyakaraikadu village. The effluents spread over 10 feet in the surrounding area; though the effluent was colourless it had a strong rotten dead body odour ranked above 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. According to the local sources the odour caused nausea and stomach rumbling.

The CUSECS officials intervened upon the knowledge of the leak at about 5 pm and repaired the pipe. Leak in CUSECS pipeline is a common feature, according to the TNPCB officials directions have been given to CUSECS to repair its entire pipe structure.

www.sipcotcuddalore.com

This new item was published on April 9, excuse me for posting it this late.

1000 Bhopals Photo Exhibition Launched in Chennai by Tamizhacchi;

Chennai Residents Take ‘No More Bhopals’ Oath

Chennai April 9, 2007 – Renowned Tamil contemporary poet and theatre artist Tamizhacchi launched the ‘1000 Bhopals’ photo exhibition at the Alliance Francaise today. The exhibition that displayed images from various toxic hotspots across India especially Tamil Nadu is part of a two week long environment festival organized by the Alliance Francaise of Madras.

The photo exhibition primarily focuses on industrial pollution and its impact on human and environmental health and aims at raising awareness of the general public about the consumption of toxic products/chemicals and its impact on the future generations and on people who share their backyards with facilities that make such chemicals. Though the exhibit displays images of Endosulphan poisoning in Kasargode, Kerala and chemical pollution from the Golden Corridor in Gujarat, the main focus is on Tamilnadu where places like Cuddalore, Mettur, Manali, Kodaikannal, Kodungaiyur and Chengelpattu are severely impacted by pollution. “Nature and human life in all these places has been severely impacted due to the industrial activity. The exhibition also aims to generate public opinion on further development of this nature,” said Community Environmental Monitoring.

Visitors also lit candles in memory of the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Disaster and the victims of industrial pollution across India. Representatives from pollution impacted communities were also present at the inauguration to interact with the visitors. The exhibition will be on till the 21st of April at Alliance Francaise de Madras – New No.24, College Road, Chennai 600 006.

Visit www.sipcotcuddalore.com and www.bhopal.net for updates and more information

Fish in Uppanar born with genetic deformity: study
Staff Reporter
Waterway polluted by effluents from chemical units

CHENNAI: Fish in the Uppanar near the SIPCOT industrial estate at Cuddalore are born with genetic deformity, according to a study conducted by student members of the People’s Union for Civil Liberty.

G. Narasimhan, a PUCL student volunteer, who visited the SIPCOT estate in March, said the increased levels of pollution and release of untreated effluent into the waterway had resulted in fish being born with one eye. Several chemical units functioning at the estate were not following the pollution norms prescribed by the Government, he said.

He said the State Pollution Control Board should monitor the levels of emissions and initiate action against polluting units to ensure that the emission levels were within the permissible limits.

The Board and other agencies should ensure that the industries abandoned production processes that were polluting and make them invest in non-polluting production technology, said Siddarth Sareen, another student volunteer.

An extensive groundwater and soil testing in the Cuddalore area had to be done to assess the extent of toxicity and the impact of pollutants as a result of releasing untreated industrial effluents into waterbodies and land, Mr. Sareen said.

A comprehensive health survey of workers and communities in and around the SIPCOT estate had to be conducted.

The work of assessing the health condition of the people should be entrusted to an independent agency and compensation provided to those seriously affected, Mr. Sareen said.

The study also urged the Government not to permit any more polluting units in the estate.
Nearly 25 students from various city colleges visited the place and spent two days in the area and submitted their findings, said V. Suresh, president, PUCL, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

For more updates on SIPCOT pollution visit www.sipcotcuddalore.com

Cuddalore: Government’s plan to sacrifice Cuddalore in the interest of larger development of the State is quite clear with the launch of plans to set up a 1320 MW coal fired thermal power plant. The public hearing for the plant with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC), a large number of community representatives also attended the hearing and opposed the project.

Public hearing held on Cuddalore power project
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/News_TheHindu_200407.html
There was a question raised in the Legislative Assembly about the existing state of environment in SIPCOT Cuddalore. Finally one of the MLA from nearby Cuddalore was coaxed to ask the questions.

Steps to protect SIPCOT complex environment; PMK’s plea for high-level committee to study pollution conceded
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/News_TheHindu_120407.html
There is a local group in Cuddalore that has also moved the Madras High Court to seek for action against the erring units in SIPCOT Cuddalore.

Plea to make SIPCOT keep safety norms
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/News_ChennaiOnline_042407.html
And finally Highways Department repair works that broke an effluent pipeline in the SIPCOT village created furore in the area.

Highways department damages CUSECS pipeline; SIPCOT village pond contaminated with effluents
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/updates_290407.html =================================================

Mettur: In Mettur, residents tired of waiting for government to take action against the pollution of Chemplast courted arrest while protesting against Chemplast.
More than 400 residents protesting Chemplast Sanmar pollution court arrest.
http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/updates_180407.html ==================================================

Chennai: Chennai residents opposed the India Japan treaty to bring in hazardous and other waste in India.
India-Japan Parley May Legalise Waste Dumping in India http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/updates_020507.html

please keep visiting the website http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/ for more updates

–
SACEM

The Bhopal Gas Disaster of 1984 was not an accident. It was the result of systematic neglect by the Government and industry. Twenty-three years after this disaster, no lessons have been learnt. The environment, workers and communities living next to the industries face the same threats that caused the Bhopal Gas Disaster. The neglect that plagued Union Carbide’s factory in Bhopal, plagues several toxic hotspots in Mettur, Cuddalore, Kodungaiyur, Ennore, Manali, Tuticorin, Alathur, Kodaikanal and Tiruppur — all in Tamil Nadu. . .all slow-motion Bhopals. Community Environmental Monitoring invites you to the inauguration of the “1000 Bhopal” photo exhibition that will give you a glimpse of the lurking dangers in thousands of communities around the country and in Tamil Nadu who live in Bhopal everyday.

Details of inauguration:
Date: 9 April 2007
Time: 6:00 pm
Venue: Alliance Francaise of Madras,
No. 40, College Road, Numbgambakkam, Chennai
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For more details contact:
Shweta Narayan – 94440 24315
Dharmesh Shah – 94444 16546
Email: india.cem@gmail.com
Website: http://www.sipcotcuddalore.com/
The exhibition will be on from 9 April to 21 April 2007 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm at Alliance Francaise of Madras.
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The Alliance Francaise of Madras is organising a three day event on environment from 9th April to 11th April. A cycle of exhibition, films and discussions on the environment and its problems.

The schedule of the event is as follows:

Exhibition, 9th to 21st April:
1000 Bhopal - The photo exhibition primarily focuses on chemical pollution and its impact on human and environmental health and aims at raising awareness of the general public about the consumption of chemicals and its impact on the future generations and on people who share their backyards with facilities that make such chemicals. Though the exhibit displays images of Endosulphan poisoning in Kasargod, Kerala and chemical pollution from the Golden Corridor in Gujarat, the main focus is on Tamilnadu where places like Cuddalore, Mettur, Manali and Chengelpattu are severely impacted by industrial pollution.

Documentary Films:

9/4/07: Hunting for Warren Anderson, By Dateline : 22 years after the world’s worst industrial disaster, survivors o the Bhopal gas tragedy are still trying to bring the person and the corporation responsible for this disaster to justice.

Neer Nilam Katru (Water land and air), by: S. Divyanathan: This 15 minutes film takes you to the depths of the petroleum refinery hub of Manali located in the north of Chennai.

10/4/07: Darwin’s Nightmare, H. Sauper : Fishermen, politicians, Russian pilots, prostitutes and manufacturers all caught up in an incredible drama. The shores of the world’s largest tropical lake are now the scene of globalization’s worst nightmare.

11/4/07: The right to survive, Rita Banerji & Shilpi Sharma : each year, the eastern coast of India witnesses a truly spectacular occurrence of nature, the arrival en masse of hundreds of thousands of Olive Ridley turtles in the coastal region of the State of Orissa. This film offerssome insights into the dilemmas facing the various stakeholders and attempts to provide a solution for tomorrow.

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www.sipcotcuddalore.com

Report on SIPCOT pollution unduly delayed: consumer body

The Hindu, 31 March 2007

Special Correspondent

Ambient air ‘contains eight chemicals exceeding safety limits’

PUBLIC WORRY: Unchecked pollution in the SIPCOT Industrial Estate area in Cuddalore is causing concern to the residents.

Links below contain audio documentation done by Radio Journalist Jessie Bhangoo during Cuddalore - Chennai Environmental Tour.

Gana Vijay Intro
Intro To Ride

Other files:
Audio 1
Audio 2
Audio 3
Audio 4
Audio 5
Audio 6

The audio files above are hosted by SangatProject. The site has a page dedicated for Cuddalore Bicycle Tour.

Chennai, 11 February 2007: The cycle tour to highlight the environmental crisis in SIPCOT Cuddalore culminated today in Chennai and ended with a cultural program and solidarity meeting of city based groups who resolved to support the struggle against new polluting facilities in Cuddalore. The two day tour that resumed on Friday from Tindivanam covered a distance of about 150 km to reach Chennai. A reception was held for the cyclists at the temple square of Urur Kuppam on Elliots beach where they were welcomed by Tamil actress Kalai Rani and supporters of the Cuddalore campaign. “Industrial pollution has converted Cuddalore into a disaster zone. We are pained at the horrible environmental conditions under which people in SIPCOT Cuddalore live, and we undertook this cycle tour to appeal to the Government to improve conditions in Cuddalore,” said Rupesh Kumar, a representative of Youth for Social Change, one of the coorganisers of the event.

The tour held public meetings at Tindivanam, Chegalpettau, Kovalam and was joined by students of Vidya Sagar in Besant Nagar before reaching Urur Kuppam temple square where the cultural program was held. The cultural troupe of Gana Viji presented a street play depicting the sufferings of the residents of Cuddalore due to the industrial operations. Various songs and traditional theppatam dance was also presented. Later addressing the meeting, residents of Cuddalore and Mettur who were also a part of the cycle tour informed the gathering about the problems of pollution and appealed for solidarity support in their fight against the new polluting facilities planned for Cuddalore.

Cuddalore is a toxic hotspot. Numerous reports, including by the State Human Rights Commission admit that Cuddalore is overpolluted and that no new polluting industries should be set up in the region. Rather than mitigate pollution, the Government is planning to target Cuddalore residents with more and more polluting industries. Currently, the villagers are fighting a desperate battle to prevent the setting up of a PVC plastic factory by Chemplast Sanmar in Semmankuppam village. A 1320 MW thermal power plant, several textile dyeing industries, a 6 million tonnes per annum oil refinery and a scheme to pump toxic effluents from textile dyeing units in Tiruppur is part of plans to sacrifice Cuddalore.

The tour was first launched in November 2006, where 19 members including youth from Chennai visited SIPCOT Cuddalore to have a first hand experience of the living conditions and environmental pollution in the area and bring the message back to Chennai on the cycles. The tour had to be discontinued after an accident which claimed one of the cyclists life. 20 year old K. Gurubalan drowned in a pond after he entered it for bathing while taking a break en route. The participants of the tour resumed their journey in memory of Guru to spread the message on environment. “Guru was deeply affected by the horrendous environmental condition in SIPCOT Cuddalore. His death has made our resolve to fight injustice in Cuddalore stronger,” said Jeny Doly of Youth for Social Change who joined the tour for the first time.

For more details contact:
Nityanand Jayaraman – 9444082401
Shweta Narayan – 9444024315

International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal; The Other Media; Cuddalore District Consumer Protection Organisation, Youth for Social Change, SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitoring, DEPORT.

www.sipcotcuddalore.com