Chennai: Nearly two weeks after returning from a guided tour to the waste-to-energy plantin Hyderabad along with mayor R Priya, CPI (M) councillor R Jayaraman, made an independent visit to the neighbourhood earlier this week. He found residents living near the plant suffering from issues including respiratory problems, skin diseases, and eye conditions.Jayaraman, ward 4 councillor from Ernavoor, visited neighbourhoods situated around the plant on May 7 along with members of the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations and environmentalists.“We noticed health issues in residents living around a one-kilometer radius of the plant,” he said. Most residents belonged to low-income and marginalized communities in areas such as Karmika Nagar, YSR Nagar, Gabbilalpet, Shanti Nagar, CNR Colony, Sri Sai Enclave, Haridas Palli, VNS Homes, and MLR Colony. “The impact of emissions is so severe that children in these communities no longer play outdoors. Residents said they are forced to spend a lot of money on medical expenses, with some spending more than 5,000 a month due to pollution-related illnesses,” Jayaraman said.The disparity between the sanitized official visit and the grim reality is staggering, he said. “During the initial visit with the mayor and civic authorities, we were taken through a green, landscaped area to reach the plant. It was shocking to see the real situation when we visited the nearby residential areas. We do not want such an extremely polluting industry in Chennai. It can devastate our people’s lives. We will continue to protest until the govt withdraws the project at the Kodungaiyur dumpyard,” he said.Residents near the plant also complained about deteriorating groundwater quality. Nearly 18 water bodies have been contaminated by the facility, the said. “Gulla Pochamma Lake near the plant has been bisected by a road constructed to facilitate the transportation of waste to the WTE plant. At this rate, the lake will vanish,” said Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Association president T K Shanmugam. “I was determined not to cover my face with a mask, but the moment I entered Shramika Nagar, I had to wear one due to a burning sensation in my nose and lips,” he added.Environmentalists such as J Prasanth from Chennai Climate Action Group said Chennai must reject this toxic, outdated model of waste-to-treatment plant. “GCC must adopt more sustainable waste management practices. We must segregate waste, minimise, reuse and recycle,” he said.