TN rejects Centre report on quality of groundwater

The Tamil Nadu government has rejected the Centre’s report on groundwater contamination in Thoothukudi in the backdrop of the Sterlite controversy, saying it was “absolutely vague” and seemed to support the Vedanta Ltd unit which was “totally unwarranted”.

The opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) also lashed out at the report, saying it “angered’ the people of the state.

Chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan wrote to the secretary, minstry of water resources, RD and GR (Ground Water), saying Tamil Nadu was “perturbed” that the report had been commissioned without intimating the state government or the statutory authorities, including the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB).

Referring to the TNPCB refusal to renew consent for the operation of Sterlite Copper Smelting plant in Tuticorin in April, she said this was done after detailed investigation and analysis of all the relevant factors.

“On the basis of scientific studies, the TNPCB has concluded that the level of pollution caused by the Sterlite plant has gravely affected the health of residents in the locality, warranting closure of the industry,” she said in the letter, dated September 7.

To safeguard the environment, a fundamental duty was imposed on the state by virtue of Article 48-A of the Constitution of India and the Tamil Nadu government had ordered permanent closure of the unit, she said.

Quoting from the report, she said it concludes that the investigation team could not enter into the premises of Sterlite Copper Industry to collect representative samples from inside and outside of the unit since district authorities had sealed it following a government order for its permanent closure.

She said the report had stated that “Therefore, it cant be stated that M/s Sterilte Industry is only cause of pollution indicated above” and described this conclusion as “totally unwarranted”.

“This conclusion, which appears to support Sterlite Industry, is totally unwarranted, besides being absolutely vague and is not supported by any empirical data ,” she said.

The law and order situation in Thoothukudi has returned to normalcy and such an “unscientific report” will likely aggravate it, Vaidyanathan said.

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