Garbage Burning in Chennai's Suburban Panchayats: An Urgent Public Health and Environmental Concern

Garbage Burning in Chennai's Suburban Panchayats: An Urgent Public Health and Environmental Concern

By Pothirajan Subramanian, Nedungundram Village Panchayat

Every morning, I step out from my first-floor home hoping to breathe fresh air and enjoy the natural surroundings of my village. Instead, I am often greeted by the smoky smell of burning garbage. As a resident of Nedungundram Village Panchayat, now under Vandalur Taluk, I find this deeply disturbing.

Our village is blessed with natural assets, including a small hill, water bodies, and its close proximity to the Vandalur Zoo forest area. Yet, despite these environmental advantages, many residents begin their day inhaling polluted air caused by the routine burning of garbage.

On several occasions, I have approached sanitation workers and requested them not to burn waste. The response is often the same: they claim they are merely following instructions to clear accumulated garbage dumps. If this is true, it reflects a serious failure in waste management practices at the local body level.

As citizens, we pay taxes, follow government regulations, and fulfill our civic responsibilities. In return, we expect local authorities to protect public health and maintain a clean environment. Unfortunately, that expectation is often not met.

Among more than 12,000 village panchayats in Tamil Nadu, only a handful receive recognition for successful waste management initiatives. The larger question remains: what about the responsibility of the thousands of other local bodies?

Like many ordinary citizens, I often wonder whom to approach, where to begin, and how to push for meaningful change. Yet, like most working people, these thoughts are quickly set aside as family obligations and professional commitments take precedence.

My daily commute from Nedungundram to my workplace in Taramani takes me through areas such as Tambaram Eastern Bypass, Thiruvancheri, Kovilancheri, Madambakkam, and Chithalapakkam. Throughout this journey, I frequently encounter the same problem: smoke and foul odors from openly dumped and burned garbage. This is not an isolated issue. It has become a common sight across many suburban areas surrounding Chennai.

The Nature of the Problem

The root cause appears to be inadequate solid waste management. Instead of collecting, segregating, processing, and disposing of waste scientifically, open dumping and burning are often used as a quick and inexpensive method of disposal.

The situation becomes particularly dangerous when mixed waste containing plastics, rubber, packaging materials, and other non-biodegradable items is burned. Such activities can release harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter and toxic emissions, which degrade air quality and pose risks to public health.

Impact on Public Health

Exposure to smoke from open garbage burning can cause or aggravate a range of health problems, including:

Children, elderly citizens, and individuals with pre-existing respiratory or other health conditions can be particularly vulnerable to air pollution.
When garbage is burned near residential areas, smoke often lingers for hours, making daily life uncomfortable and unhealthy. Ironically, even those involved in burning waste are exposed to the same health risks.

Why Does It Continue?

Despite the requirement for source segregation, poor implementation can result in mixed waste reaching collection points and dumping sites. This makes the waste more difficult to process and can encourage improper disposal practices such as open burning.
Residents across many suburban areas have repeatedly raised objections. However, the persistence of the problem suggests inadequate monitoring, weak enforcement, and insufficient accountability.

Waste Segregation: A Responsibility Already Defined

Waste segregation is not merely a recommendation to citizens. Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, four-stream segregation at source is mandatory. Waste must be separated into wet waste, dry waste, sanitary waste, and special care waste. The rules came into full effect on 1 April 2026.

The rules also clearly define the role of local bodies. They are responsible for the collection, segregation and transportation of solid waste, in coordination with Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for further sorting and processing. Importantly, the rules specifically call for special attention to peri-urban rural areas, which is particularly relevant to the rapidly developing suburban areas around Chennai.

When segregation is properly implemented, wet waste can be directed for composting or other biological processing, while dry waste such as plastic, paper, metal, glass and rubber can be sent to MRFs for sorting and recycling. Sanitary and special-care waste can be handled through appropriate channels.

The framework is therefore already in place. The real question is whether it is being implemented effectively on the ground.

If waste is segregated at source, collected separately, transported properly and processed through designated facilities, there should be far less need for mixed waste to end up in open dumps or be burned. The continued sight of garbage burning raises an important question: where is the waste-management chain breaking down?

Legal and Civic Accountability

Open burning of garbage should not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Authorities should establish simple and accessible complaint mechanisms that allow citizens to report violations directly to:

• Local Panchayat Administrations
• District Authorities
• Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)
• Health Departments
• Law Enforcement Agencies

Regular inspections, public reporting systems, and meaningful penalties are essential to stop such practices.

At the same time, local bodies must ensure efficient waste collection, segregation, transportation, recycling, composting, and scientific disposal of waste.

Long-Term Solutions

To permanently address this issue, the following measures are necessary:

• Effective segregation of waste at source, supported by separate collection and processing
• Regular door-to-door collection
• Composting of biodegradable waste
• Recycling and recovery of dry waste
• Strong supervision of sanitation workers and contractors
• Elimination of open dumping sites near residential areas
• Public awareness campaigns on waste management
• Strict enforcement against illegal garbage burning

Only a structured and scientific waste management system can reduce pollution, protect public health, and preserve the environment in Chennai’s suburban panchayats.

Do Village Panchayats Come Under Pollution Control Regulations?

Yes.

Village Panchayats are not part of the Pollution Control Board itself, but they are subject to environmental laws and regulatory oversight. The local body is responsible for waste collection and disposal, while the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is responsible for enforcing environmental regulations and taking action against violations.

In simple terms, effective waste management requires coordination between local bodies responsible for the collection and management of waste and regulatory authorities responsible for environmental compliance and enforcement.

However, many citizens feel that enforcement remains weak and that violations often continue without adequate accountability. Until effective monitoring and strict implementation become the norm, open garbage burning will remain an unresolved environmental and public health challenge.

Clean air is not a luxury. It is essential to the health and well-being of every citizen. The time has come for local bodies, pollution control authorities, and policymakers to ensure that no resident has to begin their day breathing smoke from burning garbage. Every morning should begin with fresh air-not the smoke of yesterday’s waste.

Author

Pothirajan Subramanian

An Experienced IT System Administrator with strong expertise in IT Support, System Administration, Network Infrastructure, Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS, and Cyber Security Management.

Alongside his IT career, he is actively involved in IDREA's initiatives and activities, with a strong interest in environmental health, sustainable waste management, community awareness, and environmental sustainability. Through his involvement with IDREA, he contributes to and engages with initiatives focused on promoting cleaner, healthier and more sustainable communities.