The Greater Chennai Corporation expects the total volume of firecracker waste to reach approximately 600 tonnes by the weekend.
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has collected 406 tonnes of firecracker waste across Chennai as of 3 pm on Monday, according to reports from Urban Acres and BusinessLine. The civic body expects the total collection to reach about 600 tonnes by the weekend.
GCC Commissioner G S Sameeran said the corporation has been collecting the waste since Saturday morning. Of the 406 tonnes collected, four tonnes were picked up on Saturday and 145 tonnes on Sunday. The current volume is higher than the total collected during the same period in the previous four years.
The cleanup has been complicated by rain and poor air quality. BusinessLine reported that rainfall caused wet firecracker residue to stick to road surfaces, making removal difficult. The Air Quality Index in Chennai averaged over 800 between 8.30 pm and 11.30 pm on Sunday, with a peak of 1,084 at 11.01 pm.
To expedite the process, the GCC has deployed 600 additional sanitation workers beyond its regular workforce of 19,275 staff. The corporation has also pressed 350 additional vehicles and machines, including tipper lorries and earthmovers, into service. Additionally, 30,000 specialised bags have been distributed to workers for separate collection.
The GCC stated that compliance with instructions to segregate firecracker waste from household garbage has been poor. Residents were asked to place the waste in separate bags and hand it directly to workers rather than leaving it on roads. The collected material will be transported to a dedicated processing facility at Gummidipoondi for scientific treatment.
