Community Environmental Monitoring Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu

1
Community Environmental MonitoringCuddalore,
Tamil Nadu

• AID-Austin
• 01/22/05

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Agenda

• Brief overview of CEM
• Recent updates/progress in CEM
• Site visit report
• Budget and vote

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CEM Details

• Information about the NGO
• Collaborative exercise between The Other Media,
  FEDCOT, Global Community Monitor, Village
  protectors (SACEM).
• Basis of project
• Pollution generated by SIPCOT Chemical Industrial
  Estate.
• 10 villages in the vicinity of the industrial
  complex and at least 20,000 people estimated to
  be affected
• Bring the pollution affected communities together
  as an organized voice against pollution
• Put pressure on the regulators and indirectly the
  industry to monitor and reduce pollution

4
Implementation of CEM

• Air monitoring and testing
• Bucket device for testing air-borne pollutants
• Water testing and monitoring
• Incident monitoring
• Legal response and education
• Emergency preparedness and response

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Denny Larson from GCM with the Bucket
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Village Monitors with the Air Sample
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Project Progress

• Aug 2004 Chemical Odor Incident Report
• Sept 2004 Gas Trouble Air Quality in SIPCOT,
  Cuddalore
• Village outreach in SIPCOT
• Sept 21, 2004 - meeting with TNPCB, Health
  Department and Factories Inspectorate
• Sept 22, 2004 meeting with Supreme Court
  Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Waste
• Launch of CEM in Eloor, Kerala

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Evaluation Criteria for CEM

• Is it a community tool?
• Is there increased legal and regulatory action
  against polluters?
• Is there increased acceptance of the project
  including processes, tools and results as a
  valid data generating exercise by the mainstream
  and especially the courts and regulators?
• Has the CEM generated interest among the village
  community?
• Is there increased participation of village
  community in the decision making process of
  village government with regards to matters of
  pollution?

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Site Visit (By Rajaraman from AID-Atlanta, Jan 3,
2005)

• Two hour meeting with CEM volunteers
• Village monitors are a motivated group
• Still trying to get the confidence of the
  community at large but some progress made
• Not much change in attitude of TNPCB
• No progress on the PIL
• Formation of Local Area Environment Committee.

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Budget

• Please contact the project coordinator for
  project budget information

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Vote

• AID-Austin approves 5586 for supporting the
  Field Expenses component of the Community
  Environmental Monitoring project
• Yes 15
• No 0
• Abstain 1