GCC to plant 1,500 tree saplings in reclaimed 2-acre land at Kodungaiyur dumpyard

CHENNAI: In an initiative to increase the green cover, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has planted 1,500 tree saplings with a piped irrigation facility and a fence for Rs 57 lakh in the reclaimed land at the Kodungaiyur dumpyard.

The local body removed 16.67 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste out of the 66.52 lakh MT from the dumpyard and recovered 2 areas of land. It has also assured to carry out maintenance work for one year.

“Bio-mining is a major initiative by the civic body to reclaim land from the solid waste and legacy waste that have spread across 250 acres in over 40 years in the Kodungaiyur landfill,” stated a GCC press note. “Clearing the dump has been underway since October last year.”

The project has been divided into 6 phases and implemented by 3 contractors to be completed within 2 years. “As a precautionary measure, contractors have deployed 24-hour water sprinkler trucks at the site to prevent accidental fires caused by recycled plastic waste during the summer months. A 9,000-litre capacity water tank has been installed on behalf of the civic body. Two trucks with water have been parked, along with an emergency tank with a capacity of 1.5 lakh litres in Kodungaiyur,” the release said.

The goal is to transform the reclaimed land into a green belt thereby preserving ecological balance and improving local air quality. “It will also serve as a pioneering model for sustainable landfill rehabilitation,” the release added.