Tragedy of Commons in Chennai | India

After reading this article you will learn about the tragedy of commons in Chennai.

Introduction:

The Tragedy of Commons was a theory put forth by Garrett Hardin (1968). This theory especially talks about the misuse of public property and its affects on the environment and humans. Garrett explained this theory with the help of his famous shepherd’s example.

In it he states that, every shepherd is entitled to a pasture of land where he can allow his sheep to graze, but when he starts encroaching into another shepherd’s pasture it has several effects. Firstly, the land since it is over-grazed gets denuded and secondly for want of food the sheep begin to die or can affect the output.

Hardin’s story is of a pasture used in an uncoordinated way by a community of shepherds, but its logic applies as well to a fishery and competing fishers, to oil fields for uncoordinated drillers of oil, to rivers that receive polluted waters and a group of separately operated waste dischargers.

Each prospective user of the natural resource, be it pastures, a pool of oil, or a fishery, recognizes the productive value of the resource. Each user learns that successive expansion of grazing, drilling or dumping lead to smaller additions to total output. In short, the average yield falls with increased use. With few sheep on a fixed-size pasture, the average weight gained is high.

As the pasture becomes crowded, the average weight gained declines. Indeed, if uncoordinated crowding continues, the total weight gained on the pasture will reach a peak and decline—the onset of a tragedy of the commons.

History reveals that uncoordinated use of commons rarely occurs within stable communities, because there the conditions required for a prisoner’s dilemma seldom exist. Strangers entering a busy expressway may struggle as they place one more car on the highway and in doing so impose costs on others far greater than the benefit they themselves gain.

Shepherds and fishermen who repeatedly work in the same areas are a different story. For example, written records dating from 1224 describe arrangements by which Swiss farmers moved cattle to commonly owned pastures after the snow had melted.

The Swiss farmers restricted access to the pastures on the basis of kinship and ownership of homes and land in the same communities. Stories from the Middle Ages tell of stints defining a fixed number of grazing units—sheep, cattle, or goats—permitted to use to community pastures.

Bag limits, fishing licenses, and community-enforced rules for managing hunts for elephants and rhinos in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa represent modern counterparts of medieval stints. Access restrictions are the common element in all these schemes, and recovery and protection of species are the result.

Consider the elephant’s situation. In 1989 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) listed the African elephant as approaching the condition of a threatened species.

When the CITES met in 1997, however, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana, countries whose elephant herds have more than recovered, requested that their elephants be removed from the protected list and that the associated ban on the sale of ivory be lifted.

Systems of community- supported access control, which give community members a financial stake in avoiding a tragedy of the commons, have been implemented in those countries with significant success.

A more recent case concerns the Makah, a tribe living on the northwestern tip of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, where their ancestors have lived for two thousand years. For most of those years the Makah enjoyed a whale-based economy centered on the grey whale species, supplemented by fishing in the Pacific waters.

Anthropologist Ann Renker reported that the tribe had a centuries- old legacy of property-rights protection for whales and fish supported by informal law and custom. Recently, national and international law implemented by the International Whaling Commission overrode the property rules of the Makah.

The new formal arrangement nullified earlier claims and gave access to commercial whalers and fishermen from the United States, Japan, Russia, and elsewhere. Competition entered the Makah’s collusive ring. The whale population suffered, and the grey whale was placed on the endangered species list. Formal law led to a tragedy of the commons, whereas informal collusion had conserved the resource.

When debating the tragedy of the commons, two schools of thought arise. The first is, “Am I using this common property for wealth?” The second is, “Am I trying to preserve this common property for future use?” Both schools have their positive and negative qualities. But first, what are the commons? According to Gary W. Harding, “The ‘commons’ is any resource which is shared by a group of people. Such things as the air we breathe and the water we drink come from the commons”.

If you are a student of the first school of thought and are using the commons as a source of income, then there may be a conflict of interest. If one adheres to Adam Smith’s theories of laissez faire economics and his “invisible hand” that promotes the public interest, the collective sharing of “common property” by pure capitalists is doomed from the very beginning.

If all the owners are out for a profit, then they will soon adopt a “survival of the fittest” approach to the commons. Harding cites the inevitable outcome of this type of philosophy. “Thus, we have cases of deliberate destruction of the commons to not only get the wealth out of it before someone else does, but also to leave nothing for others”.

“As a rational being everyone seeks to maximize his gain”. If one is a student of the second school of thought, preservation of the commons, maximizing one’s gain means preserving the commons for future use. Building upon Harding’s “finite world” viewpoint in his article, E.F. Schumacher states that, “Humanity’s greatest irrationality has been to believe that our Earth is infinite and then build its social systems on this fantastic, now falsified belief. Our present economic system encourages its disciples to dominate and exploit each other and nature, and rewards the most powerful, aggressive and ruthless with even more power and riches. Since our system actively destroys people and the environment (both morally and physically), it requires a continuous feast of new people and natural resources—not possible in a finite world. Obviously, a radical social paradigm shift…is a prerequisite for our survival”.

While Schumacher calls for a “radical social paradigm shift,” the solution may be much simpler. Garrett Hardin supplies an answer that is well among our present resources. “Education can counteract the natural tendency to do the wrong thing, but the inexorable succession of generations requires that the basis for this knowledge be constantly refreshed”.

Donald Wells, author of Environmental Policy, believes that for there to be a strong understanding of environmental policy, there needs to be environmental understanding between the public and industry. The government needs to intervene and set up a structure for interaction in support of the interests of both parties for a better quality of life.

One must always question human nature and greed. Garrett Hardin’s example of the re-opening of parking spaces by the town council in Leominster, Mass. during the Christmas holiday shopping season illustrates this point.

The parking meters were shut down until after Christmas, giving shoppers free access to parking (common property). One question that should be asked, given the theory of the “Tragedy of the Commons” is, “Did the people double park?”

What Garrett proposed is exactly what the city of Chennai needs! In order to understand his point of view, I have conducted a study of certain areas, which are of common access to all.

They are the following:

1. Marina Beach

2. Public parks

3. Public or government libraries

4. Public utility services:

(i) Chennai Central station

(ii) Public transport (CTC buses)

(iii) Hospitals

I hope these areas which are covered enable you to understand the “tragedy of commons” and support and appreciate efforts taken by people, organisations and the government to sustain these commons for the future.

Corporation of Chennai:

In order that the corporation keeps the city and its commons clean, it receives annually Rs.400 crores as revenue budget and Rs.150 crores as capital budget. Of the Rs.400 crores 40% goes towards establishment costs such as new buildings, roads, toilets etc., and Rs. 150-170 crores goes towards already existing establishments.

Let me start by introducing you to the commons and their problems:

Marina Beach:

Marina beach is the second longest beach in the world stretching from Napier Bridge to lighthouse. This is a total length of 3 1/2 kms. So keeping in mind it is a long beach the corporation has delegated the work to different people in order to keep the beach and its surroundings clean.

It is as follows:

(i) Footpath – Corporation

(ii) Lawns and gardens – Public works department

(iii) Service roads – Corporation

(iv) Sand – Corporation

The corporation’s role is limited to conservancy operations and repairing and maintenance of streetlights. On 27th march 1999, a G.O. sanctioning 200 lakhs was passed for the beautification of Marina beach.

The areas of concern were:

(i) Construction of 5 new toilets, as the old ones were in a dismal state. Moreover, these were not pay and use toilets and were free for all.

(ii) Modernisation of existing toilets

(iii) There are four wells along the beach for the purpose of watering the gardens.

But, since there are no restrictions people from across the road living in slums, use the water for washing their clothes and other daily necessities. In order to solve the problem, the corporation has decided to construct specific ‘washing areas’ and close the existing wells along the beach. Instead, they plan to dig bore wells, which would prevent the misuse of water. And the water would be strictly used for gardening purposes.

A sum of Rs.67 lakhs has been allotted for the above areas of concern.

(iv) Apart from toilets and digging of bore wells, the corporation has decided to setup six drinking water facilities at a cost of Rs.35 lakhs.

(v) To improve the lawns and gardens along the beach, a sum of Rs.89 lakhs has been allotted, which is the responsibility of PWD.

As part of the efforts to improve toilets, the corporation has provided for a septic tank to be installed. The reason for this is that there are no sewerage facilities so periodically two sewerage-pumping lorries would clear the sewerage holding tanks. Of the total work undertaken to beautify the beach 90% of it has been completed. The provision of washing areas for slum dwellers is yet to be completed.

The corporation has also put forth a proposal to have a musical fountain of international standards, which would cost a whopping Rs.100 lakhs.

Observations:

(i) As part of my study to understand the problems faced by the corporation, I made a visit to the beach on a weekday. On walking up to the water, one can see a row of catamarans lined up along the beach. This is actually prohibited and has been since the late 1980’s.

During the former chief minister’s reign, the honorable M.G.R., the government passed an order prohibiting any one from using the beach for resting his or her catamarans.

The government had asked them to vacate the area and park all their boats beyond the lighthouse, but the fisher folk did not heed to the governments suggestion , which finally led to a conflict between the police and the fishing community. In the conflict 4 people died and in time to come the case got the supreme courts notice.

The Supreme Court passed a decision in favour of the fishing folk, but did not allow them to leave their boats and sprawling nets along the beach. Off late, one can find small hutments along the beach, which in turn pollutes the other areas of the beach. There is also a temple on the beach, which is of great significance to the fishermen because of which one finds a number of flowers all along the beach.

(ii) Another area of concern was the number of food and drink stalls on the beach. Hence, one cannot blame the public if they do drop food packets on the beach. There are hardly any dustbins on the beach except for the ONYX bin on the service road.

On speaking to the CE (Buildings), who is supervising the beautification of the beach, he told me that these stalls are prohibited, but every time they drive out a few, another group take their place. The problem is that so many visitors frequent the beach, that a food stall vendor can earn a good amount during peak hours.

(iii) If one walks down to the other end, towards the Napier Bridge you find a row of vendors selling sea items like conches, shells, key chains and food and drinks. They too thrive on the business that the beach generates, especially during the weekends.

The CE (Buildings) told me that even if these vendors were provided with a separate ground, they would still come back to the beach, as it generates a greater amount of income. Moreover, they cannot make provision for shops along the service roads, as in time to come many of these vendors will vacate and so these constructions would cause inconvenience to vehicular traffic.

(iv) If one were to walk along the gardens and lawns, not only are they badly maintained but also some of the garden walls are used as clothesline. This is perhaps another area, which the corporation has to address. If one would like to see the corporation in action, the best time to visit the beach would be around 5:30 AM.

One finds that group of ‘conservancy workers’ (65 workers who are each paid a sum of Rs.1800/-) stand in a row and collect every piece of paper, plastic etc. that is within their reach. This is done everyday at the same time, without fail. In this way, the corporation keeps the beach clean, so that more people can visit the beach and enjoy it while it lasts.

Public Parks:

The state of public parks in the city of Chennai is dismal. This is primarily because people lack civic consciousness and are not willing to pay for using the park. According to the corporation there are 80 notified parks and 75 un-notified parks in the city of Chennai.

To maintain these parks the Parks Department receives annually a sum of Rs.2-3 crores and there is no rule which states as to how this money is to be distributed among the parks.

Moreover, the people refuse to pay for using the park and when not maintained well, they complain about it to officials. As far as cost benefit ratio is concerned it is the worst case scenario i.e., for every rupee spent there is no benefit in return and the costs to maintain these parks are escalating.

The problem does not lie with people alone but also with the authorities, which have given into people’s demands. Perhaps the only ‘model’ park in the city is called by the name ‘Anna’. This is the only park where they collect a fee from people who want to use the park.

The fee was levied due to certain antisocial elements using the park for the wrong purposes. Today, this very same park has a “walkers association”, comprising of 50-100 members and are enjoying the benefits of the park.

They have gone together for picnics, outings, and holidays and are even making suggestions to have a toilet in the park. This suggestion was not implemented because the zonal officer of that zone felt that it would just encourage people to use the park for its toilet. If not for these walkers associations, parks would cease to exist. Often, their generous contributions have kept the parks in a reasonable condition.

Chennai city has been divided into 10 zones for easier administration. Each zone is made up of 15-18 divisions and they are further divided into units i.e. 1 unit is made up of 5 divisions and on an average each division accounts for 50,000 people. Hence, there is tremendous pressure on authorities to keep the parks clean at a reasonable cost.

But, if these very same people who pay for using the park the results would be very different. At the same time one cannot blame all the people who visit the park, but especially those who use the park for leaping or eating their meals. After eating their meals many of them just throw unwanted food or packets into bushes or corners of the park.

The setting up of new parks is determined by the ‘open space reserve’ under which 10% should be used for development of parks, gardens, playfields etc. But, the new parks would only come up if existing ones were success stories.

There is also total lack of apathy on the part of people and private companies who are not willing to foot the bill, to maintain these parks. It is a very different scenario in Mumbai, where we find big construction houses such as Raheja’s who contribute generously to establishment of parks. In order to get a clearer picture of the state of parks in the city for us, I have studied the 4 parks in the T.Nagar area.

They are:

1. Dr. Natesan Park.

Dr. Natesan Park is one of biggest parks in the T.nagar area and perhaps better utilised than most in the same area. On entering the park the first board that one notices is the ‘walker’s association’ board, which is common to most parks. Every park association has a role to play in the maintenance of the park. They are responsible in many cases for the salaries to be paid to officials in the park.

While covering these parks I took a few snaps to support my case. The first one is where one corner of the park is used as a dump area for burnt or un-burnt wastes. But, due to heavy undergrowth, it has been covered up.

As one walks towards the centre of the park there is an abstract structure which caught my attention! The water around this structure was greenish in colour. There is also a nursery in the park which seems to be well-maintained, but the area is so dry and devoid of water that one might mistake it for another set of pots in the garden.

One also comes across a ‘children’s park’, which needs a lot of attention, as some of the swings are broken and giving way. In some cases, you find adults sitting on them, which are not meant to take such weight. As I was walking towards the exit, I noticed this food packet strewn among the plants! What makes matters worse there are hardly any dustbins in the park and the watchman in charge of the park was no where in sight.

2. Panagal Park:

The first thing that one notices is that it is one of the few parks, which has made arrangements for rain water harvesting. It is an innovative way to keep the park evergreen, which is far from what it is now! Another thing noticeable is that there is hardly any grass cover and the area looks barren.

At the same time the state of the park benches is pitiable. Some of them are literally disappearing into the ground. Perhaps, one positive thing was that there are many more dustbins, but as such the park remains reasonably clean. Another feature common to this park like others is that it is used for taking long naps.

The children’s play area is hardly of any significance, as it is poorly maintained. Earlier I had mentioned the fact about rainwater harvesting in the park, as at 4-5 places they have dug pits to collect water.

Most parks should have a sprinkler system to keep the grass green, but due to outdated sprinkler systems, they thought of the novel idea, i.e., rain water harvesting. Lastly most of the garbage collected is burnt in two unused corners of the park.

3. Jeevanandam Park:

Like most of the parks in the T.Nagar area, the approach to the parks is very badly maintained. At the same time there was no watchman in site and the gates of the park were not fully open to welcome people.

On entering the park one notices that there is hardly any grass cover and most plants along the walk path, look like weeds or dried up plants. Like most of the parks it is used to catch up on lost sleep and one really feels that theses parks are used properly only in the early morning hours by the walker’s.

This park is smaller compared to the other parks, but still the wastes are burnt in four comers of the park, which accounts for most of the space in the park. There are ONYX bins on either side of the park, which could be used for dumping the wastes.

4. Sharma Park:

Sharma park is one, which exists only on paper. There is no board displaying the name of the park and it hardly gets the attention it deserves. It has reached a state of total deterioration that it now has no semblance of a park.

Now-a-days, it is used as a ground to play cricket and as a dumping ground for all kinds of construction material. Within the park, on either side there are two small houses, which are currently used as school to teach the children around the park . At the same time certain corners of the park are used as public latrines. Just outside the park there is garbage bin overflowing, as most of it is on the road.

Problems faced by Parks (summary):

(i) No entrance fee levied.

(ii) Poor sprinkler and water fountain systems.

(iii) Lack any kind of grass cover.

(iv) Poor equipment to clean the park, most of which giving way due to wear and tear.

(v) Lack of initiative on the part of officials of the park to enforce the rules.

(vi) Inadequate number of dustbins in the park.

Suggestions:

(i) Levying an entrance fee, every time one enters the park.

(ii) Adopting rainwater harvesting techniques, to sustain grass cover.

(iii) No items should be allowed in the park such as lunch boxes, books and plastic packets.

(iv) Try not to burn the waste but dump it in dustbins in the park, which could be periodically emptied.

(v) Providing proper name boards and signboards displaying different parts of the park.

Public or Government Libraries:

Often one associates government and public libraries as areas, which are poorly maintained, and have very few books. This might be true to a certain extent, keeping in mind their financial constraint.

These libraries are meant for the common people and hence charge a very nominal fee for borrowing books; otherwise entry into these libraries is free. There are mainly two libraries in the city, the others being branches, which, total up to 200 libraries.

The two libraries are:

1. District central library (DCL’S)

2. Connemara public library

1. District central library:

The district central library is located on Mount road, next to the British Council library. The district central library is supervised by the local library Association (LLA) and is one of the most commonly used libraries. Presently, DCL’S are open to everybody without a fee, unless one decides to borrow a book.

In order to maintain these libraries they are funded by the library cess, which is at 10p/rupee, as per the Library Act of 1948. Earlier, it was 3 p/rupee and then further increased to 5/-rupee. Finally it was risen to 10p/ rupee. Hence, the corporation has to provide an annual sum of Rs.3 crores, as per the Act of 1948.

There are 10 DCL’S and 150 divisions have to be maintained within a meagre sum of Rs.3 crores. The corporation only pays the salaries of the staff; otherwise they have to fend for themselves.

Among the 150 divisions, they have:

Hospital libraries – 8

Central jail library – 1

Mobile libraries – 2

And many other branch libraries. Other services offered in the library are audio-video facilities, Xerox room and also specialised services for students competing in IAS, IPS and other competitive examinations. Apart from these there are also circle libraries which have many branches and function on the same lines as the DCL’S.

As far as cleanliness goes, they are well maintained and spacious. Every year around 950 books are discarded after inspection by an officer of the LLA. The money got from the sale of books is put into the LLA fund. This fund is used to upgrade the quality of books available to the public. It is one of the few libraries where one finds all kinds of books in Tamil. According to official estimates they have around 3,00,000 books in all.

2. Connemara Public Library:

The Connemara public library has been named after the late Lord Connemara, and the then Governor of Madras Presidency. It has been functioning since 5th Decemberl896. It was set up under the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Act of 1948.

On September 10th 1956, it became one of the four recipient public libraries in India under the provisions of the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act of 1954 to receive all materials published in India free of cost.

But if one really studies the genesis of the library, it was Captain Jesse Mitchel, part time superintendent of Madras Museum who felt the need to have a reference library adjunct to the Museum. In 1860 , he approached the government to provide funds for construction of library.

As such being the case Captain Mitchel must be regarded as the founder of the Connemara Public Library, though it was a museum library in its earlier days. In time to come more space was needed to cope up with the increasing stock of books. Hence, it was decided to construct a Library building for the Madras Museum Library and foundation stone was laid on March 22nd, 1890 by Lord Connemara.

The library was opened to the public on 14th April 1896 and in 1929 a full time librarian post was sanctioned. With effect from April 1939 this library became an independent institution presided over by the Librarian himself, under the direct control of the Governor.

Other landmarks in its history are its becoming as State Central Library in 1950, its acceptance as an UNESCO Association Library Project, thereby a depository for publications of UNO and its specialised agencies and organizations in 1955.

Collection:

In its earlier days, Captain Mitchel had to buy second hand books for the sake of economy. In 1863 a portion of a collection of valuable books amounting to 10,000 volumes was handed over to the Museum library, which now forms an important part of the Public Library.

Rao Bahadur Arcot Dhanakoti Mudaliar made a donation of Rs.20,000 to the Victoria Memorial for the purchase of books on Art and these books were housed in the Connemara Public Library.

In addition to these materials, a good number of books are added every year by purchasing from the funds made available by the government of Tamil Nadu. There is a common saying “if you can’t find a book anywhere, you are sure to find it at Connemara Public Library”. It has some of the rarest and best collection of books of any library in the city.

Services:

It remains open to the public on weekdays of the year from 9 A.M. to 7:30 P.M., without any break. Only on 3 National holidays and 6 State government holidays in a year it is closed.

At present the library is providing the following services:

(i) Reference service

(ii) Text book service

(iii) Home delivery service

(iv) Lending service

(v) Bibliographic service

(vi) Periodical service

(vii) Educational video service

(viii) Xerox service

(ix) Computer unit

(x) Braille and Talking books service

(xi) GISTNIC Existence Centre.

They have a specialised service with a collection of 10,000 books for those appearing for competitive examination such as IAS,IPS, TNPSC, UPSC and entrance examinations for medical and engineering college admissions.

Modernisation:

Recently the library celebrated its 100th year of existence and so they felt they should change with the times, in this age of IT. The library is in the process of computerizing and cataloguing of books and they have a section comprising of 14 computers, which is dedicated to this purpose. They have also expanded, by adding 10,000 sq. ft for their increasing stock of books. They also have Internet facilities at nominal rates.

Staff:

The staff consists of non-technical and technical persons having high academic qualifications in library science headed by the librarian.

Misuse of Public Libraries in Chennai City:

Now that I have given a fairly detailed description of the facilities available at these libraries, let me highlight the areas of concern. Most of these areas of concern are common to most libraries in the city, which may vary according to the size and facilities available at each library.

They are:

(i) One of the most common practices is that people take books and never return them. Moreover, to become a member one has to pay Rs.25/year and Rs.75 as deposit per book (library specific).

(ii) Fines are levied at Re. 1/week and so many students keep the book for the entire semester.

(iii) Many of the people who visit the library use the chairs inside the ‘stack section’ to take long naps. Some of the people come in at a specific time, when they know it is not too crowded. Thus they cause inconvenience to others who need to sit and do reference work.

(iv) There are also instances of people tearing important pages of books, so that they don’t have to spend Rs.75 for borrowing the book (library specific).

(v) Some people also hide books, which they want to take at a later date. So they hide it in some corner of the library, which nobody knows of.

(vi) Certain sections of the library are used as areas for courtship.

Apart from the above there are also mistakes committed by the staff.

They are:

(i) Books, which are left on reading tables, find their way back to the respective section much later. The staff pretends to do the work but are actually just standing by the shelves.

(ii) Often, getting a book depends on the stature of the person. Personal contacts play a role in getting the books on time. There are times when books are blocked for a long period for a specific person, as he has pulled a few strings.

(iii) Most of the staff are not aware about where books can be found, so they direct you to somebody else who is equally ignorant. In other words, there is no co-ordination among the staff. Most of the points that I have highlighted above are gathered talking to a few members of the respective libraries. It is very difficult for the librarian and staff to own up to their mistakes.

The irony of the situation is that these libraries are meant for the common people, but it is this lot that exploits these public institutions. It is no surprise that the British and U.S. libraries, which are also, open to the public face very few problems. This is because they have higher membership fees, which cannot be afforded by the common people.

I hope the low membership fees, which is in favour of common people, don’t encourage us to degrade these institutions of learning. In order for the corporation to keep other public utilities such as roads and streets clean let me highlight the solid waste management scenario in the city.

Solid Waste Management Chennai:

Solid waste management is the process from primary collection to its disposal. At present, garbage is made up of Physical and Chemical components.

The following are the components:

Physical:

(i) Organic – 59.06%

(ii) Glass and inert -27.50%

(iii) Rags -4.50%

(iv) Paper -4.50%

(v) Plastic – 2.50%

(vi) Leather and rubber -1.00%

(vii) Metals -0.04%

(viii) Others -1.40%

Chemical Analysis:

(i) Moisture content -27.60%

(ii) Ph. value -7.68%

(iii) Organic content -39.06%

(iv) Carbon content – 21.53%

(v) Nitrogen content -21.53%

(vi) Phosphorous P,0₅-0.63%

(vii) Calorific value” in K J/Kg-4595 KJ/Kg

(viii) Potassium K₂O-0.63%

The maximum amount of waste arises from the following:

At the primary level i.e., from residential areas the garbage is collected by an eco-friendly organization called EXNORA. They collect household wastes from the city streets and take it to transfer stations. From there it heads straight for the dumping grounds on the outskirts of the city.

Until recently, solid waste management was taken care by the Corporation but in their drive to make Chennai “Greener and Cleaner” a Singapore based company by the name CES (Chennai Environmental Services)- ONYX has been asked to assist. The Corporation has signed a contract for a period of 7 years. The garbage collected by the private party is only l/3rd of the total garbage collected from the 10 zones.

As of now, only three zones-6,8 and 10 fall under the purview of CES-ONYX.

The zones are chosen for the following reasons:

(i) Slums in the area

(ii) VIP houses

(iii) Bus routes

(iv) Commercial and business complexes.

On an average 1000 tons/day are collected from the 3 zones. The firm is paid on a monthly basis, as per the tonnage. The average tonnage/day up to July was 3045 tons, which will go up to 4000 tons/day over the next few years. By the year 2010 it will reach 5000 tonnes/day. Presently, the garbage is collected and taken to Kodungaiyur in North Chennai and Perungudi in South Chennai.

At the same time these dumping grounds will not be able to accommodate the ever growing wastes in Chennai. So, the government came up with a novel idea to use the waste at Kodungaiyur for manufacture of compost at the rate of 600 tonnes/day. The waste at Perungudi will be used to generate electricity at the rate of 800 tonnes/day. But the one at Perungudi is attracting attention for all the wrong reasons.

1. The Corporation of Chennai in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Industrial Corporation (TIDCO) has initiated a scheme to start a Waste — to -Energy plant in Perungudi. In this plant they plan to send municipal solid waste (including plastics) which is passed through a thermal process in order to generate electricity. Of the seven companies that were shortlisted, an Australian company, Energy Development Limited (EDL), has been awarded the contract to set up the project at Perungudi.

In November 1998, at a Cll session for renewable energy projects, managing director of EDL, India stated that “while the above technology has not been tested in India it is operational elsewhere in the world.”

This got the attention of a Chennai based NGO, which decided to probe further and their research show, that the claim is inaccurate. Moreover, the technology was first used in a city called Wollongong, Australia and is to become operational only in April 2000. Apart from this it is the first project of its kind and there is serious concern about the toxic emissions the plant will generate.

2. This project is not cost effective as it is a whopping Rs.200 crores with only 12-15 MW of electricity to be generated. Can a city like Chennai afford such a project both from a financial and environmental point of view? Apart from this the corporation has agreed to provide 15 acres of land in Perungudi, an area adjacent to the fragile Pallikaranai wetland in South Chennai, on a thirty-year lease at a nominal rate. Also the corporation is to provide 800 tonnes/day of garbage free of cost to the plant.

3. Perhaps the worst thing possible is that TNPCB (Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board) has not conducted any environmental study on this project. This is gross negligence on the part of TNPCB because at-least 15% of garbage inputted will come out as ‘char’. The toxic nature of this ‘char’ is unclear, but the processing of plastics will emit dioxins and furan emissions, which are carcinogenic.

4. What is shocking is that there was no public hearing or consultation in relation to the setting up of this plant. The public has a right to know as to the nature of the project and its effect on their daily lives. This project is to be operational in 15-20 months from the date of its approval i.e., October 1999.

5. The irony of the matter is that many experts now feel that this technology would not be a success in a city like Chennai. Firstly, Chennai does not generate enough garbage to sustain this technology and secondly, the waste collected has low calorific value. This is more suited to bigger cities, which generate large amounts of garbage, with high calorific value.

At the same time there is a proposal to use the dumping ground in north Chennai for setting up a common treatment plant for bio-medical wastes. But, they have to make land available for the project and most importantly consult the public and seek their approval. This time the corporation would not commit the same mistake twice!

1. Chennai Central Station:

Today if one were to visit the station, one would hardly believe the change it has undergone. The approach to the station has improved remarkably, so much so that even buses ply from and to the station.

Basically, shifting the auto and taxi stand to the opposite side of the Booking terminal building has decongested the area. The only autos that do stand opposite to the station are the prepaid ones. There is also a separate parking lot for four wheelers and two wheelers. But, my concern is how this public utility service is being misused.

The following are areas of concern:

(i) Between the booking terminal building and the exit opposite the car park, there is a small area, which is used for dumping rubbish. What makes matters worse is that rag pickers wade through this garbage looking for plastics, which they can sell. In doing so, they dirty other areas and displace the garbage.

(ii) There is a wall adjacent to the river, which flows next to the station. Many people who can’t make use of public toilets urinate onto this wall.

(iii) Since, there are inadequate waiting rooms to accommodate the public very often we find them using the benches in the station to catch up on lost sleep.

(iv) Even the waiting rooms are misused, as they spread dirt at the place or even leave water taps open, without any concern.

(v) Perhaps, the most common occurrence at the station is spitting at every nook and corner, with no one to question them.

(vi) Throwing of banana skins, food packets, plastic cups and bottles.

(vii) Another common occurrence is people entering the station without a platform ticket.

Suggestions:

I. Provide enough dustbins for the people to discard rubbish.

II. Levy fines on people spitting or spreading dirt at the place.

III. Enforce fines on people found without platform tickets.

IV. Prohibit people from urinating on the walls, by providing enough toilets.

V. Educate the people about ‘civic consciousness’ by putting up posters.

2. MTC Buses:

This mode of public transport is perhaps the lifeline of many people in the city. In doing so they have been misused and at times subject to vandalism. For easier administration the MTC is divided into two divisions—north and south.

As per official data there are 1481 buses under division—1 and 1329 buses under division- 2. Totally there are 2810 buses plying in the city of Chennai. The following are the ways in which they are misused.

(i) Overcrowding of buses, as people are unwilling to wait for the next bus.

(ii) Travelling from one place to another without buying a ticket. At the same time travelling a greater distance without paying for it.

(iii) Damaging of buses by political parties, students and other organisations to get the attention of the government.

(iv) The overcrowding of buses costs the MTC, as far as fuel consumption goes. With heavier buses more fuel is consumed over shorter distances, emitting greater amounts of Carbon Monoxide into the atmosphere. Recently, the TNPCB has asked the buses to undergo an emission test or be fined upto Rs. 1000/-

Suggestions:

(i) Impose restrictions on overcrowding of buses, by levying stiff fines.

(ii) Levy fines on people who travel without tickets. This is being done by the MTC from time to time to discourage others.

(iii) Rigorous imprisonment for those who damage public property for vested interests.

(iv) Educational messages written inside the buses in the native languages. Looking at these messages on a daily basis would influence their way of thinking.

3. Hospitals and Waste Management:

The famous saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” holds no meaning in this day and age. Today, with rising levels of pollution and poor sanitary conditions, a visit to the hospital is mandatory. There are hardly any cases of misuse of hospitals by patients; rather it is the other way round.

But, if one goes through records at the corporation, one realizes that they don’t account for bio-medical waste, which is of growing concern. The problem lies in the fact that hospital authorities don’t take adequate care in disposing of their wastes. The result being that the environment suffers the consequences due to the waste generated by these public utility services.

Now-a-days, bio-medical waste management is gaining so much of importance that, most hospitals have to get their act together or face dire consequences. To a layman this issue would not make sense, unless we study the problem. I hope the following pages will put to rest any myths about this burning issue.

Let me first begin with an introduction to medical waste and its origin:

Medical waste includes all types of wastes produced by health care units, clinics, medical and research facilities. Moreover, the general belief about such wastes generated is that it is highly infectious. This is perhaps the biggest misconception in the minds of people. The truth of the matter is that only 10-15% of such waste is infectious and the remaining 85% is equivalent to household waste i.e. non­infectious.

Hospital waste is classified into:

1. Infectious Waste:

Microbiological waste, body parts, pathological issues, soiled cotton and dressings come under the category of infectious waste. Infectious waste should be kept separated and under no circumstance should it mix with the non-infectious waste.

While the pathological waste should be either incinerated or deep buried (deep burial option should be practiced in rural areas or towns with population less than 5 lakhs), the rest can be microwaved, autoclaved or hydroclaved.

2. Liquid Waste:

All body fluids (blood, urine, suctions of body fluids like lung aspirations etc.) come under the category of liquid wastes. Hospitals generate liquid wastes, which are considered infectious in nature. These should be treated with 1-10% bleach for an hour and then flushed into the sewer system.

3. Non Infectious Waste:

It is similar to household waste and therefore does not require any special treatment. In large hospitals, technologies like bio-digests can be installed. Such conversion uses the waste as a resource producing both compost as well as gas. The gas can be piped for cooking etc. in smaller establishments, kitchen waste can be composted, for use as manure.

4. Chemical Hazardous Waste:

Hospitals also generate a wide range of chemical hazardous waste, which must be stored separately and properly managed. They should be neutralized before flushing them down the drain. These include solvents, chemotherapy waste, and photographic chemicals to name a few.

Radioactive waste is to be handled in accordance with the Atomic Energy. Since hospital waste management is a relatively new concept there are no reliable figures available for quantum of waste generated’ person/day.

But here are a few points to think about:

1991 AD- 900tonnes/day

0.6 million approx.

2000 AD- 1500 tonnes/day

1 million (targeted)

On an average generation of hospital waste is 1-5 kgs/bed/day. In developing countries, it is around 1-2 kgs/bed/day. Collection of the bio medical waste and its segregation at the point of generation is the most important step in waste management. For streamlining the process, the waste is segregated into different colour bags and the staff has to be educated about the use of these bags.

If waste is not segregated at the point of generation and all types of waste mixed, then the entire waste will become infectious. This would cause more harm than the earlier figure of 10-15%. Further, absence of segregation leads to the incineration of certain wastes, with the toxicity of the emissions and ash.

As per the rules of the MOEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) given below is the method of segregation:

Note:

# Chemical treatment using at least 1% hypo-chloride solution or any other equipment chemical reagent

@@ It must be ensured that chemical treatment assures disinfection.

## Mutilation/Shredding must be such to prevent un-authorised reuse.

@ Chemical plastics shall not be incinerated. @ Chlorinated plastics shall not be incinerated.

* Deep burial shall be an option available in towns with population less than 5 lakhs in rural areas.

Technology for Disposal:

There are growing number of ways which are available to us apart from incineration.

They are:

1. Autoclaving or steam sterilization:

It has been practiced for years and is especially used for items such as syringes and other medical equipment. For example, an estimated 45% of infectious medical equipment is reused through autoclaving in western hospitals. Autoclaving involves heating medical waste at 120 degree C. Waste is reduced by an estimated 75 % of its volume and can either be landfilled directly or compacted further.

2. Microwave disinfection:

Microwave disinfection relies on treating medical waste with moist heat and conventional microwaves. Microwaving is economically competitive and versatile. Since, the internal microwave heat system is closed, studies in Europe have shown that here are no emissions at all. Hence, there is no need for pollution devices.

3. Hydro-clave:

It is similar to an autoclave, but it reduces the volume up to 85% and reduces the weight up to 60%.

4. Chemical disinfection:

It is cost effective and does not require large investments. A Chemical is used to destroy the pathogens., Chemical disinfectant generally used is sodium hypo-chloride or bleach.

5. Shredder:

The shredder mutilates waste and reduces it into unrecognizable pieces. The shredder is economical for large hospitals or for shared facilities. The waste should be shredded after disinfection.

6. Combined facility:

Smaller health care units with low funding, space constraint and high cost of establishment of facilities, unable to afford individual facility. Such institutions join hands with other health care institutes and set up Common Treatment Plants. They are especially found in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.

7. Incinerator:

Apart from the facilities mentioned above, there is something common to most hospitals and that’s an incinerator. It is a technology of final waste disposal by high temperature under controlled conditions, which burns down waste into innocuous ash and gaseous emissions.

Large incinerators are more efficient than smaller ones. In the case of two-chamber incinerators, the waste should be burnt at 800 degree C in the first chamber and must reach 1050 degree C in the second chamber.

There are different kinds of incinerators from single stage to three stages. The design has been changing over the years and the chimney should be as per Government specifications (the maximum height of chimneys should be at-least 3m above roof height of any building with a distance of 5 times the uncorrected chimney height and in no circumstances less than 8m above the ground level).

Incinerator has many advantages:

(i) Reduces mass and volume of waste

(ii) It adds aesthetic value, as it destroys the organic components

(iii) Destroys infectious organisms

(iv) Prevents un-authorised recycling

At the same time it has disadvantages of concern:

(i) Potential source of air pollution

(ii) High costs of installation, operation, repair and maintenance of equipment need to be defined by new emission

(iii) Environmental pollution and health impacts.

(iv) Formation of dioxins and furans with increase of PVC chemicals is particularly dangerous.

In-spite of all the problems with incinerators, with incinerators, hospitals continue to adopt this method of disposal as, most hospitals believe in ‘end of the pipe technologies’. They are totally ignorant of the fact that these technologies are causing more harm than good to the people.

Let us take, for example the state of Kerala, where, incinerators are being encouraged even in residential areas. At the same time the U.P. government is also encouraging the use of these perennial smokers.

But in countries like Japan the government has taken certain steps to protect the health of the people, by passing an order saying that the maximum tolerable daily intake of dioxin be lowered to 4 pico-grams per kilograms of body Wight (a picogram is one-trillionth of a gram). Hence, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan has said that it will not allow incinerators to be built in areas where dioxin levels are higher than the norm.

In their latest Standards for Medical Waste Incinerators notified on the 15th of September 1997 the USEPA provided the following emission limits:

Another reason for high emissions of dioxin and furans from incinerators is the poor quality. According to the World Bank, there is a serious attempt to transfer technologies banned in developed countries to developing ones. Moreover, World Bank supports dioxin producing medical waste incinerators in health projects sponsored by them. World Bank has 30 such projects in over 20 developing countries.

To support the above the United States Agency for Environmental Partnership is a joint project of USAID and department of Commerce. The stated goal of USAEP is to fund overseas markets for US corporations.

This is done for the purpose of environmental protection environmental technology transfers. Since, they don’t screen the companies and industries they actually accentuate the problem and promote obsolete and end of the pipe technologies for which markets are drying up at home.

Plastics in Medical Waste:

There has been a major shift towards plastics (particularly PVC) within hospitals, be it syringes, blood and urine bags, IV bottles, tubing’s etc. This is because plastics are disposed off after single use, which reduces inter-patient transfer of pathogens via equipment. As far as incinerating PVC goes it leads to formation of dioxine and furan, which are carcinogenic and have endocrine disrupting properties.

Further, if disposed off in a dump, the toxins in it can leach or percolate the soil and water and contaminate it. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified the Biomedical waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998. These Rules provide methods for waste treatment of plastic and other medical waste and state that all chlorinated plastics cannot be incinerated

The government however, does not have a policy of the use of plastics in medical equipment. There is no effort to regulate the type used in different equipment. The government has only been able to provide methods of treatment of plastic waste.

Due to the environmental and health hazards of plastics many countries are seriously monitoring the disposal of plastics. A number of hospitals in Austria and Germany have substituted PVC products by non-PVC products such as glass, metal, rubber and other kinds of plastic.

Only the PVC variety of plastic is dangerous to health and environment. I hope the above information gives you an idea about the problems involved in medical waste. In order to understand the problem, we have to analyse the state of hospitals in Chennai and their disposal methods.

They are:

1. Sunderam Medical Foundation, (Anna Nagar), 200 beds:

SMF is perhaps one of the ‘model’ hospitals in the city. This hospital has one of the best waste disposal systems in Chennai, due to the sustained efforts of a very able hospital administrator. Apart from that, they have a very well trained and enthusiastic staff, who takes all the necessary precautions. SMF is one of the few hospitals where they segregate waste at the point of generation.

The staff are educated about the following areas:

(i) What is bio medical waste and how it should be treated?

(ii) Why is segregation necessary? How is it done?

(iii) What are the precautions to be taken?

(iv) What does the Ministry of Environment and Forests, regarding bio-medical waste lay down the rules?

After segregation they carry out chemical disinfection for PVC and then use a shredder to get rid of the plastic, which is absent! But, according to the hospital they would be installing one by the end of the month.

Most of the waste collected, especially plastics are collected by a private contractor (in the case of SMF it is Bindu Contractor), this person sells the plastic to a shop opposite Teynampet Police Station. At present SMF has a one-chamber incinerator and is in the process of replacing it.

2. Vijaya Hospital, (Vadapalani), 245 beds:

There is no proper segregation in Vijaya hospital and most of the wastes are mixed in a single bin and sent to the final disposal site in the hospital. They are using ‘needle destroyers’ instead of shredders, the difference is that the former cuts off the tip and latter destroys the needle completely, which cannot be used again.

They too, are in the process of installing a two-chamber incinerator. Perhaps, the best part about this hospital is that they have their own sewage and septic treatment plant, which costs them Rs.20,000/ month.

3. Government General Hospital,(opposite Chennai central), 800 beds:

There is no segregation at any point of generation. All the wastes are mixed in a single bin. They do not have an incinerator and most of the waste collected is dumped on the outskirts of the hospital, under the adjoining bridge, which is accessible to scavengers.

Syringes and needles are being re-used, supposedly sterilised, but chances of getting AIDS or Hepatitis B are more here than anywhere else. Instead of being an institution for protection, it is a source of infection.

4. Madras Medical Mission, (Mogappair), 250 beds:

Good segregation is taking place at the point of generation. They do not feel the need to have an incinerator, but they do have an autoclave which, is used to sterilize most wastes.

5. Malar Hospitals, (Adyar), 150 beds:

There is no proper segregation at the point of generation. They are in the process of installing a two chamber incinerator and so the wastes generated are disposed off at a cost of Rs.40,000/ month. At the same time they don’t have a shredder and don’t plan to get one in the near future.

Malar is considered to be one of the better and responsible hospitals in the city but a few months back an ONYX employee found bio­medical wastes dumped in their bins. This was done a few times by the hospital and hence, the corporation sent them a notice to put a stop to it. At the same time, ONYX has withdrawn its bins from opposite the hospital.

6. Lister Laboratory, (Nungambakkam):

It had an incinerator, but for environmental reasons are managing with an autoclave. Moreover, one needs to generate a fair amount of waste to go in for an incinerator.

7. EHRLICH Lab, (Royapettah):

No awareness about rules and regulations and hence have no proper waste disposal techniques. Most of the waste generated finds its way into municipal bins, especially syringes.

Problems associated with City Hospitals:

(i) Do not consider hospital waste management an area of concern

(ii) No proper training and education

(iii) No awareness about the rules as per the Ministry of Environment and Forests

(iv) Poor segregation of wastes at the point of generation

(v) No awareness about the rules as per the Ministry of Environment and Forests

(vi) Inability to innovate and experiment with different technologies

(vii) Believe in end of the pipe technologies

Suggestions:

(i) Accept the problem and work out an action plan.

(ii) Hold regular talks and seminars in order to enlighten the people about the issue

(iii) Publicize mismanagement of wastes by hospitals through mediums like, newspapers, Television, handouts and World Wide Web (WWW).

(iv) Assign well qualified hospital administrators

(v) The bigger hospitals should share their technology with smaller hospitals. (SMF is an example of hospitals sharing their technology with other hospitals)

(vi) Waste disposal (incineration) is a costly affair, as one requires a lot of fuel (diesel) to burn the waste and also to keep it clean. Perhaps, asking the patients to foot a percentage of the expenses incurred.

(vii) Avoid end of the pipe technologies, as far as possible.

Most hospitals are in state of panic, as they have to comply with the rules within a specific period. These rules were introduced in 1998 and were supposed to comply by the 30th of June 2000, but things are yet to take off in most hospitals.

Similarly, a few months ago TNPCB had passed a ruling stating that if hospitals don’t set up 2 chamber incinerators, within a period of one year, the head of the institution could face upto 7 years in prison.

It is surprising that most hospitals haven’t pushed for a common treatment facility as, it would save on cost and all the legal procedures. But, the government has given the above a serious thought and has put forth a proposal to set up a facility at Kodungaiyur. Before doing so it will have to consult the public about this facility!

On speaking to an activist working for an NGO (Srishti), she pointed out that the main problem with the city hospitals is that they believe in ‘end of the pipe technologies’. There is this myth that an incinerator is the ‘solution’ whereas, it is the cause of most of our problems.

At the same time, one fails to keep the facts in mind that only 10-15% of waste generated is infectious, if properly segregated. So there is no need for an incinerator in every hospital. If things don’t slow down Chennai would be better known as the ‘Chimney of the South’.