Chapter - 5

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5.0 BASELINE ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

Baseline Environmental Studies have been conducted to know the existing status of various Environmental attributes viz., Climatic and Atmospheric conditions, Air, Water, Noise, Soil, Hydro geological, Land use pattern, Ecological, Socio-Economical environment, prior to setting up of the proposed product enhancement activity. This study would help to undertake mitigation measures for protection of the environment on account of any change due to proposed activities. 5.2 SCOPE OF BASELINE STUDY

An area, covering 10 km radial distances from the project site is considered as the study area for purpose of the baseline studies. As part of Environmental Impact Assessment, this study was undertaken for a period of three months from June 2009 to August 2009. Primary data on Water, Air, Land, Flora, Fauna & Socio-Economic data were collected by a team of Engineers and Scientists. Secondary data was collected from Department of State/Central Government Organizations, Semi-Government and Public Sector Organizations. Table - 5.1 gives various environmental attributes considered for formulating environmental baseline and Table - 5.2 gives frequency and monitoring methodology for various environmental attribute.

5.3 HYDROGEOLOGY

As per the investigation, depth of groundwater in the area is in the range of 45 to 70 m. the ground strata are fine grained (clay) alteration of clay, sand and sandstone. The groundwater in the area occurs under confined conditions in inter granular pore spaces of sandstone and sand.

Borewell on the plant site yielding about 12.5 m3/hr. Overall the area has a moderate groundwater potential.

5.4 GEOLOGY

The study area is geologically classified as semi consolidated formation representing the Upper Gondwanas of Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous age and the marine beds of the Cretaceous Age. The Upper Gondwana sediments consists of two stages i.e., the lower Sriperumbudur stage consisting of white to pink fluviatile clays, shales and feldspathic sandstones. The Sriperumbudur beds occur as patches spread over nearly 2,000 sq km in Chengulpattu and North Arcot districts and the largest patch occurring at around Sriperumbudur. The age of Sriperumbudur is not certain, but the impressions of the foraminifer and the ammonities are suggestive of an age varying from Upper Jurassic of Lower Cretaceous.

The geology of the proposed project site is similar to the regional geology and has underlain Gondwana Formation of sediments. The sediments have top sandy clay followed by sandstone and alternate silty clay and shale.

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5.5 SEISMOLOGY

The project area and surroundings fall in Zone III according to Seismic Zone Map of India. This shows the area is seismically active with light to moderate quakes.

TABLE 5.1 - VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES

S. No. Attribute Parameter Source of Data

1 Land Use Trend of land use change for different categories

SIPCOT Industrial Complex, Sriperumbudur

2 Water Quality

Physical, Chemical and Biological parameters

Water samples are collected at seven locations during this study period

3 Ambient AirQuality

PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NOx Ambient air quality monitoring at six locations

4 Ambient Air VOC VOC Monitoring at project site & its surrounding

5 Noise levels

Noise levels in dB(A) Noise level monitoring at four locations

6 Ecology Existing terrestrial flora and fauna within the 10 km radius of project influence area

Secondary sources

7 Geology Geological history Secondary sources8 Soil Soil types and samples analyzed for

physical and chemical parameters.Soil samples are collected for analysis at five locations

9 Socio-economicaspects

Socio-economic characteristics of the affected area

Based on field survey and data collected from secondary sources




TABLE 5.2 - ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTES: FREQUENCY AND MONITORING METHODS

AttributesSampling

MeasurementMethod

RemarksNetwork Frequency

A. Air Environment

ParticulateMatter (PM10)

Requisite locationsin the projectinfluence area

24 hourly Gravimetric (High- Volume)

As per CPCB

standards under

November 18th 2009

Notification for NAAQS

Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Gravimetric (High- Volume

with PM10 Impacter)

AttributesSampling

MeasurementMethod

RemarksNetwork Frequency

Oxides of Sulphur (SO2) Requisite locationsin the projectinfluence area

24 hourly EPA Modified West & Gaeke

method

NOx

Arsenite ModifiedJacob &

Hochheiser

B. NoiseHourly equivalent noiselevels

Requisite locationsin the projectinfluence area

Once Instrument : Noise

level meter

IS: 4954-1968

C. Water Parameters for water quality: pH, Turbidity, Conductivity, Total hardness, Total Alkalinity, Chloride, Sulphate, Sodium, potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Total Dissolved Solids and Iron

Set of grab samples at requisite locations for ground and surface water

Once Samples for water quality collected andanalyzed as per IS : 2488 (Part 1-5) methods for sampling and testing of Industrial effluents Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater analysis published by American PublicHealth Association.




D. Land Environment Parameter for soil quality: pH, texture, electrical conductivity, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphate, sodium, calcium, potassium andMagnesium.

Requisite soil samples be collected as per BISspecifications within project influence area

Once Collected and analyzed as per soil analysis reference book, M.L.Jackson

5.6 CLIMATE AND METEOROLOGY OF THE STUDY AREA

A. Climate: The Kancheepuram region is endowed with a moderate climate but considerable humidity. Extreme heat or cold weathers are not prevalent. Both the monsoons occur here and in summer heat is considerably mitigated in the coastal areas by the sea breeze. Generally, the north east monsoon which lasts during the months of October, November and December brings heavy rainfall and nearly two third of the annual rainfall are received during this season.

B. Rainfall: The rainfall that comes before monsoon is almost uniform throughout the district. The coastal taluks get more rain rather than the interior regions. This district is mainly depended on the seasonal rains. Northeast and southwest monsoon give the most rainfall with 54% and 36% contribution each to the total annual rainfall. The normal rainfall is recorded as 1213.3 mm while actual rainfall is recorded as 1133 mm.

C. Temperature: The summer season experiences a maximum of 36.6° C and a minimum of 21.1° C while in winter season the temperature is 28.7° C as maximum and 19.8° C as minimum temperature.

D. Cloud Cover: During the winter and the summer seasons, it was observed that the skies are generally very clear. In the post – monsoon season, generally light clouds were observed in the evenings, with clear mornings. During the monsoon season, both in the mornings and evenings, the skies were found to be clouded.

E. Micro-Meteorology at Site: The meteorological data recorded during study period is very useful for proper interpretation of the baseline information as well as for input, to predictive models for air quality dispersion. The year may broadly be divided into four seasons.

Winter season : December to February Summer season : March to May Monsoon season (South West Monsoon) : June to September Post monsoon (North East Monsoon) : October to November

The area receives rain during northeast monsoon and also gets affected by the cyclonic weather during the monsoon season.

India Meteorological Department – Minambakkam, Chennai




The study period wind rose is presented in Figure 5.1.



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Figure 5.1

June

July August

WINDROSE DIAGRAM – Wind blowing from direction

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TABLE 3.2 - CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA - STATION: IMD, CHENNAI (1951 – 1980)

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5.7 AMBIENT AIR ENVIRONMENT

The prime objective of the baseline air monitoring is to evaluate the existing air quality of the area. This will also be useful for assessing the conformity to standards of the ambient air quality during the operation of the proposed project. This section describes the selection of sampling locations, methodology adopted for sampling and analytical techniques. The results of monitoring carried out during the study period starting from June 2009 to August 2009 are presented below;

5.7.1 Methodology adopted for Air Quality Survey

A) Selection of Sampling LocationsThe baseline status of the air quality in the study area has been assessed through a scientifically designed ambient air quality monitoring network. The design of monitoring network in the air quality surveillance has been based on the following considerations:

Meteorological conditions Topography of the study area; Representatives of regional background air quality for obtaining baseline

status; and Representatives of likely impact areas

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (AAQM) stations were set up at six locations with due consideration to the above mentioned points. The locations of the selected stations are given in Table-5.3 and Figure-5.2.

B. Frequency and Parameters for SamplingAmbient Air Quality monitoring has been carried out simultaneously at six locations with a frequency of two consecutive days per week for study period. The baseline data of air environment is generated for the following parameters:

Particulate Matter (PM 10) Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) Sulphur dioxide (SO2) Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX)

TABLE 5.3 - DETAILS OF AMBIENT AIR QUALITY MONITORING LOCATIONS

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S. No Location Code Location Direction EnvironmentalSetting

1 AAQ1 Site - Industrial2 AAQ2 Irungulam NW Residential3 AAQ3 Vadamangalam NNW Residential4 AAQ4 Thodukadu N Residential5 AAQ5 Sriperumbudur NNE Industrial6 AAQ6 Kaduvancheri ESE Residential

Direction with the respect to site

C. Instruments for SamplingRespirable Dust Samplers were used for monitoring Particulate Matter (PM10 & PM2.5), and gaseous pollutants like SO2 and NOx.

D. Sampling and Analytical Techniques

PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NOxThe air inlet has a circular symmetry so that air entry is unaffected by wind direction and is designed to keep out rain, insects and very large particles. The inlet section immediately leads to an impactor stage designed to trap particles with an aerodynamic diameter larger than 10 microns. Thus the air stream in the down tube consists of only medium and fine particulates. The streamlined air flow of the down tube is accelerated through the nozzle of the well shaped impactor designed to trap medium size particulates with an aerodynamic diameter between 2.5 and 10 microns. To avoid sampling errors due to the tendency of small particles to bounce off the impaction surface a 37mm diameter GF/A paper immersed in silicone oil is used as an impaction surface. The air stream leaving the WINS impactor consists of microns. These fine particles are collected on a special Teflon membrane filter of 47 mm diameter. Modified West and Gaeke method (IS – 5182 part – II, 1969) has been adopted for estimation of SO2 and Arsenite Modified Jacob & Hochheiser has been adopted for estimation of NOX. The techniques used for the monitoring of Ambient Air quality is given in Table 5.4.

E. CalibrationCalibration charts have been prepared for all gaseous pollutants. The calibration is carried out whenever new absorbing solutions are prepared and used.

TABLE 5.4 - TECHNIQUES USED FOR AMBIENT AIR QUALITY MONITORING

S. No Parameter Technique Minimum DetectableLimit (µg / m3)

1 Particulate Matter(PM10) Respirable Dust Sampler (Gravimetric method)

1.0

2 Particulate Matter(PM2.5) Respirable Dust Sampler (Gravimetric method)

1.0




3 Sulphur Dioxide West and Gaeke 5.04 Nitrogen Oxide Jacob & Hochheiser 5.0



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TABLE 5.5 - SUMMARY OF AMBIENT AIR QUALITY RESULT

Code LocationPM10 PM 2.5 SO2 NOX

Min Max Avg 98 Per Min Max Avg 98 Per Min Max Avg 98 Per

Min Max Avg 98 Per

AAQ1 Project site 42.4 58.7 52.6 57.4 20.4 24.6 22.5 23.8 9.2 13.5 11.8 13.2 16.1 21.8 18.921.2

AAQ2 Irungulam 39.8 57.9 47.4 56.1 16.9 19.6 17.4 18.2 8.4 12.9 10.3 12.4 14.2 18.7 16.4 17.8

AAQ3 Vadamangalam 30.2 44.8 35.8 42.7 13.5 16.2 14.4 15.1 7.3 10.1 9.2 9.6 22.1 26.7 23.9 25.6

AAQ4 Thodukadu 38.4 48.9 41.7 46.7 15.4 20.4 16.9 18.7 9.6 12.8 10.8 12.4 15.7 20.5 18.9 20.3

AAQ5 Sriperumbudur 56.8 69.4 61.2 67.4 23.8 26.5 24.2 25.5 11.2 15.3 13.1 14.9 19.7 29.4 22.7 28.5

AAQ6 Kaduvancheri 41.0 46.5 43.7 41.9 13.8 17.1 15.5 16.3 7.8 10.6 9.5 10.2 15.9 18.1 16.8 17.6

Ambient Air Quality Standards

Industrial /Residential / Rural and Other Area 100 60 80 80

All values are expressed in µg/m3







F. Observations

PM10 - A maximum value of 69.4 µg/m3 was observed at Sriperumbudur (AAQ5). The 24 hours applicable limit for industrial areas is 100 µg/m3.

PM2.5 - The maximum value of 26.5 µg / m3 for RPM was observed at Sriperumbudur (AAQ5). The next higher value of 24.6 µg/m3 was observed at site (AAQ1). The 24 hours applicable limit is 60 µg/ m3 for industrial areas. SO2 - The higher values of SO2 are observed to be 15.3 µg/ m3 at Sriperumbudur (AAQ5) and 13.5 µg/m3 at site (AAQ1). The 24 hours applicable limit for industrial area is 120 µg/ m3

.

NOx - The higher values of NOx are observed to be 29.4 µg/m3 at Sriperumbudur (AAQ5). and 26.7 µg/m3 at Vadamangalam (AAQ3). The 24 hours applicable limit for industrial area is 120 µg/m3.

The result of VOC’s at the project site and its surrounding are given in Appendix - 9.

5.8 NOISE ENVIRONMENT

The most common and universally accepted scale is the ‘A’ weighted scale which is measured as dB (A). The environmental impact assessment of noise from the industrial activity and vehicular traffic can be undertaken by taking into consideration various factors like potential damage to hearing, physiological responses, annoyance and general community responses. The environmental impact of noise can have several effects varying from Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) to annoyance depending on loudness of noise.

The impact of noise sources on surrounding community depends on:

Characteristics of noise sources (instantaneous, intermittent or continuous in nature). It can be observed that steady noise is not as annoying as one which is continuously varying in loudness;

The time of day at which noise occurs, for example high noise levels at night in residential areas are not acceptable because of sleep disturbance; and

The location of the noise source, with respect to noise sensitive land use, which determines the loudness and period of exposure.

Noise survey has been conducted in the study area to assess the background noise levels in different zones viz., Residential, Industrial, Commercial and Silence zones. The main objective of noise monitoring in the study area is to establish the baseline noise levels and assess the impact of the total noise expected to be generated in the surrounding areas by the proposed plant.




5. 8.1 Methodology

A) Identification of Sampling LocationsA preliminary reconnaissance survey was undertaken to identify the major noise generating sources in the area. The noise monitoring has been conducted at four locations in the study area. The environment setting of noise monitoring locations is given in Table-5.6.

TABLE 5.6 - DETAILS OF NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS

Sr. No Location Environmental Setting1 Site Industrial

2 Irungulam Residential

3 Vadamangalam Residential

4 Sriperumbudur Industrial

B) Methodology of Data Generation

a) Instrument Used for MonitoringNoise levels were measured using a sound level meter. The sound level meter measures the Sound Pressure Level (SPL), the Maximum Sound Pressure Level (max) and the equivalent continuous noise level (Leq) by switching on the corresponding function mode.

b) Method of MonitoringSound Pressure Level (SPL) measurements were taken at all locations, with an interval of 1 minute over a period of one hour for 24 hours. The day noise levels have been monitored during 6 am to 10 pm and night noise levels during 10 pm to 6 am at all the locations covered in the study area. Noise levels were recorded every one minute in the following manner. To obtain noise levels at 8 AM, noise readings, with setting at ‘A’ response – slow mode, were recorded continuously for 60 minutes. All the readings were obtained for 24 hours. These readings were later tabulated and the frequency distribution table was prepared.

Lday: Average noise levels between 6.00 hours to 22.00 hours.Lnight Average noise levels between 22.00 hours to 6.00 hours.

c) Presentation of Results




The summary of computed ambient noise level parameters like Lday and Lnight, for all the sampling locations are presented in Table-5.7 and compared to the standards specified by CPCB mentioned below in Table-5.8.

TABLE 5.7 - AMBIENT NOISE LEVELS RECORDED IN THIS STUDY AREA [dB (A)]

S. No

Sample Location Lday Lnight

N1 Site 65.2 51.8N2 Irungulam 45.3 41.4N3 Vadamangalam 49.8 43.7N4 Sriperumbudur 71.5 59.6

TABLE 5.8 - AMBIENT NOISE STANDARDSAMBIENT NOISE STANDARDS L day L nightIndustrial Area 75 70Commercial Area 65 55Residential Area 55 45Silence Zone 50 40

d) Observations

Day time Noise LevelsNoise levels during day time were found to be in the range 71.5 – 45.3 dB (A). The maximum noise level was observed to be 71.5 dB (A) at Sriperumbudur (N5) and a minimum of 45.3 dB (A) was observed at Irungulam (N2).

Night time Noise LevelsNoise levels observed to fall in the range 59.6 - 41.4 (A) during the night time. A maximum of 59.6 dB (A) was observed at Sriperumbudur (N5) and a minimum of 41.4 dB (A) in the Irungulam (N2).




5.9 WATER ENVIRONMENT

Selected water quality parameters of ground water resources within the study area have been considered for assessing the water environment. To assess the water quality of the study area, seven ground water sampling locations were selected.

a) Water Sampling LocationsWater samples were collected from seven sampling locations. These samples were collected as grab samples and were analyzed for various parameters. The water sampling locations are listed below in Table-5.9.

TABLE 5.9 – DETAILS OF WATER SAMPLING LOCATIONSS. No Location Quality

W1 Site Ground water QualityW2 Pondur Ground water Quality

W3 Pillaipakkam Ground water QualityW4 Mambakkam Ground water Quality

W5 Kaduvancheri Ground water QualityW6 Araneri Ground water Quality

W7 Vadakkal Ground water Quality

b) Presentation of ResultsThe water sampling results for ground water samples are given in Table - 5.10 respectively. The ground water analysis results are compared with the standards for drinking water as per IS: 10500 – 1983 “Specification for drinking Water” for ground water.




S. No Parameters Unit Limit as per IS

10500:1991

W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7

1 pH - 6.5-8.5 6.9 7.56 6.91 6.09 7.43 7.02 7.80

2 Conductivity at 25˚C µS/cm Not Specified

195 1254 2070 1444 436 928 657

3 Total Dissolved Solids mg/l 500 130 830 1430 1140 230 580 390

4 Total Hardness, as CaCO3 mg/l 300 44 252 695 483 149 262 268

5 Total Alkalinity, as CaCO3 mg/l 200 36 320 520 52 160 400 284

6 Chloride, as Cl mg/l 250 26 53 367 376 31 78 29

7 Sulphate, as SO4 mg/l 200 17 330 133 115 32 43 55

8 Calcium, as Ca mg/l 75 10.4 60.4 177.2 132.8 40.4 76.4 64.4

9 Magnesium, as Mg mg/l 30 4.37 24.54 61.23 151 36.69 17.25 26

10 Sodium, as Na mg/l Not Specified

19 198 180 104 38 106 40

11 Potassium, as K mg/l Not Specified

3 2 58 4 2 3 BDL(<1.00)

12 Iron, as Fe mg/l 0.3 BDL(<0.05)

BDL(<0.05)

1.12 BDL(<0.05)

0.081.00

BDL(<0.05)

13 Turbidity NTU 5 2.1 0.5 8.6 0.4 0.1 18.6 0.6




TABLE 5.10– CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUND/SURFACE WATER

BDL – Below Detectable Limit




c) Observations

Ground Water and Surface WaterThe ground water characteristics are given in the above Table-5.10. The analysis results indicate that the average pH ranges in between 6.9 – 7.8. TDS ranges from 130 to 1430 mg/l. Total hardness ranges from 44 - 695 mg/l. The chlorides were observed to be ranging between 26-376 mg/l.

5.10 SOIL ENVIRONMENT It is essential to determine the potential of soil in the area and identify the current impacts of urbanization and industrialization on soil quality and also predict impacts due to the proposed product increase of plant. Accordingly, a study of assessment of the baseline soil quality was carried out.

a) Data GenerationFor studying soil quality of the region, five sampling locations were selected to assess the existing soil conditions in and around the project area representing various land use conditions. The physical and chemical concentrations were determined. The samples were collected from these different depths viz., 30cm, 60cm and 100cm.

The present study of the soil quality establishes the baseline characteristics and this will help in future in identifying the incremental concentrations if any, due to the operation of the proposed plant. The sampling locations have been identified with the following objectives:

To determine the baseline soil characteristics of the study area To determine the impact of industrialization on soil characteristics and To determine the impact on soils more importantly from agricultural

productivity point of view.

Five locations with in 10-km radius of the plant site were selected for soil sampling. At each location, soil samples were collected from three different depths viz., 30cm, 60cm, and 100cm below the surface. The samples were analyzed for physical and chemical characteristics.

The samples have been analyzed as per the established scientific methods for physio-chemical parameters.

b) Soil Sampling LocationsThe details of the sampling locations selected for soil sampling are given in Table-5.11.




TABLE 5.11 - DETAILS OF SOIL SAMPLING LOCATIONS

S. No Location Environmental Setting

S1 Site Industrial landS2 Vadamangalam Agricultural landS3 Thodukadu Agricultural landS4 Sriperumbudur Industrial landS5 Kaduvancheri Agricultural land

c) Presentation of ResultsThe results of the soil analysis are tabulated in Table-5.12. Standard soil classification is given in Table-5.13.







S. No SAMPLE PARTICULARS S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

1 pH 7.527.63 7.82 7.71 7.95

2 Electrical conductivity, mS/cm@25ºC 0.114 0.101 0.162 0.605 0.108

3Organic Matter, %

0.15 0.20 0.11 0.18 0.72

4Exchangeable Calcium, mg/ kg,

1573 260 2615 1531 1698

5Exchangeable Magnesium, mg/ kg,

210 134 483 245 305

6Exchangeable Sodium, mg/kg

51 21 78 33 59

7Exchangeable Potassium, mg/kg

110 29 113 87 953

8 Available Nitrogen as N, mg/kg, 5.8 10.2 6.8 11.7 29.7

9 Available Phosphorous, as PO4, mg/kg 20.1 10.1 5.6 7.1 13.7

10Texture Classification

Clay SCL Clay Clay Loam

11Sand (%)

155.5 7067.2 101.7 56.3 3537.3

12Silt (%)

16556.5 1011.5 2021.4 4541.6

13Clay (%)

68.50 2526.3 8076.8 7572.3 2021.1

TABLE 5.12 – SOIL ANALYSIS RESULTS




TABLE 5.13 – STANDARD SOIL CLASSIFICATION

ChemicalParameters

Ranking

Very Low Low Moderate High Very HighpH <4, very

Strongly Acidic

4-5, Strongly Acidic

5-8, Ideal for Plant Growth

8-9 Strongly

Basic

>9 Very Strongly

BasicElectrical

conductivity (μS/cm)

<2000,Non saline

2000-4000Saline

4000-8000Moderately

Saline

8000-16000Highly Saline

>16000 Extremely

Saline

Total Nitrogen (%)

<0.05Very Low

0.05-0.15 Low

0.15-0.25Moderate

0.25-0.5 High

>0.5Very High

Total Phosphorous

(mg/kg)

<5Very Low

5-10Low

10-30 Moderate

30-60 High

>60 Very High

Sodium(mg/kg)

- <200 Non Sodic

200-500 Moderate

>500 Sodic

Potassium(mg/kg)

- <150 Low 150-250 Moderate

250-800 High

>800 Very High

Calcium(mg/kg)

- <1000Low

1000-2000 Moderate

>2000 High

-

Magnesium(mg/kg)

<40 Very Low

40-100Low

100-300 Moderate

>300 High -

% Organic Matter

0.5-1.0Very Low

1.0-2.0Low

2.0-3.0 Moderate

3.0-5.0 High

>5Very High

d) Baseline Soil StatusThe soil analysis results are presented in Table-5.12. These results are compared with the standard soil classification given in Table-5.13. It has been observed that the pH of the soil ranging from 7.52 - 7.95 indicating that the soils are neutral to slightly alkaline in nature. The soil in the study area is predominantly of sandy clay type. The Electrical Conductivity was observed to be in the range of 0.605 - 0.101 µS/cm. The nitrogen values are in the range of 5.8 - 29.7 mg/kg and the potassium values range between 29 - 953 mg/kg, which indicate that the soils have less to better quantities of potassium. The soil from the study area shows moderate fertility.




5.11 ECOLOGY

The dominant species in the study area were Borassus flabellifera, Tamarindus Indica, Ficus benghalensis, Millingtonia hartensis, Mangifera Indiaca, pithocolobium dulce, Azadirachta Indica, Ficus benghalensis, Millingtonia hartensis, Mangifera Indiaca, Pithocolobium dulce, Azadirachta Indica, Pongamia glabra and Moringa Olieifera.

The floristic survey of the area indicated presence of shrubs and trees (or phanerophytes, 73 species), water plants except plankton (or hydrophytes, 16 species), plants with perennial shoots and buds close to surface ( or hemicryptophytes, 21 species), and parasitic plants 9 or epiphytes, 1 species). A total of 162 plant species were recorded in the study area. Most of the plant species recorded were fruits, vegetables, cereals, millets, probes, timber, forage, flowers, oil seeds and a few medicinal and sacred plants. In general the area is typical of semi-arid tropical vegetation structure.

Commercial plantations like eucalyptus and casuarinas were observed at a few places in Ramapuram, Padicheri and Sirukoloy villages. Cashew, guava and mango plantations were also recorded.

As per forest records, there are no reserved, protected or village forests within 7.0 km area of the proposed projects site. On the basis of field studies and as per secondary data available from Botanical Survey of India and Forest Department-state of Tamil Nadu, the study area did not indicate presence of any endangered and vulnerable species.

Terrestrial faunaAs per available secondary data, several minor herbivorous and carnivorous wild animals are reported to exist in the study area. The reported common mammals are Common Mongoose, Indian Hare, Fruit bat, Squirrel, Monkey, Indian Rat, Fox, Porcupine and Common mouse. The reported common amphibians present in the study area include Frogs and Toads, mainly restricted to marshes. The common reptiles reported to be present in the study area include Lizard, Chameleon, Cobra, Viper etc. In all, 22 species of local migrant birds and 4 species of butterflies are reported in the study area.

Endangered animalsA comprehensive Central legislation namely Wild Life (Protection) Act was enforced in 1972 to provide protection to wild animals. Schedule-I of this Act contains the list of rate and endangered species, which are completely protected throughout the country. 45 species are reported to be existing in the study area, out of which one (Macaca mulata or Monkey) belongs to Schedule –I, 3 species belong to Schedule – II (Herpestres edwardsinyula (or Mongoose, known as Nevla in local languages Hindi), Vulpes benghalensis (or Fox) and Vipera sp. (or Russel Viper snake) and rest




of the animals belong to Schedule – IV of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Majority of the animals are those commonly sighted in the region.

Monkeys are generally sighted outside the temples for the eatables/ food given to them by the devotees. The Mongoose is sighted in the wasteland. The fox and snakes are occasionally sighted in areas close to the forests and wasteland respectively. However, there are no protected habitats of these animals either in the study area or in the nearby areas, and, therefore, no specific actions are required to be taken by the proposed facility.

Mammals




At the existing premises, the following plants are available.

Anona Squamosa, Azadirachta Indica, Bauhiniapur Purea, Caesalpinia Pulcherrima, Eucalyptus Citriodora, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Psidium guayava




Green Belt Development

5.12 SOCIO- ECONOMIC PROFILE




The socio – economic aspects of the study include study of human settlements, demography, sociological aspects such as distribution of scheduled castes(SC) and scheduled tribes(ST) populations, literacy levels of people and the infrastructure facilities (for education, health, communication, transportation, water supply, sanitation etc.) available in the study area. The economic aspects include occupational structure of workers. The methodology adopted for the study is mainly based on review of secondary data such as the Primary Census Abstracts of 2001 Census.

The salient features of the demographic and socio-economic aspects of the study area are described in the following sections.

SettlementsThe study area covers approximately 68,150 persons (50.33% males and 49.67% females) inhabited in 37 human settlements, which includes an urban area and 36 village rural settlements. Of these, Sriperumbudur Town Panchayat and 32 rural settlements fall in Sirperumbudur Taluk fall in Thiruvallur district. The majority of the human settlements are small villages having less than 1,000 people in each village. Sriperumbudur is the only urban center in the study area having a population of more than 10,000 people. Molachur and Thirupandiyur are two (2) other villages having a population of more than 6,000 people. The distribution of settlements and population are presented in Table 5.14 and 5.15.

Table 5.14 Distribution of Settlements by Population Size (as per 2001 Census)

Population Range No. of Village Households Persons Male Female

1-100 2 22 87 42 45101-200 2 108 515 260 255201-500 4 359 1485 747 738501-750 5 695 3062 1615 1447751-1000 9 1844 8097 4134 39631001-2000 5 1736 7526 3862 36642001-3000 5 2638 12010 6030 60303001-5000 2 1577 6975 3413 3562




5001-10000 2 2886 12237 6122 6115>10000 1 3629 16156 8077 8079Total 37 15494 68150 34302 33898

Table: 5.15 Distribution of Population in the Study Area

Particulars Sriperumbudur Taluk Thiruvallur Taluk Study Area

Total Area (ha) 15020 3347 18367No. of Human Settlements 33 4 378No. of Households 12189 3305 15494Total Population 53946 14204 68150Male Population 27306 6996 34302Female Population 26640 7208 33848Average Household Size 4.43 4.3 4.40Sex ratio 976 1030 987Density of population/km2 359 424 371

Source: Primary Census Statistics – Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur Districts, 2001

Social StructureAs per 2001 census, `32% of the population in the study area belonged to scheduled castes (SC) and `2% to the scheduled tribes (ST). This indicates that, in the year 2001, ~34% i.e. about one third of the total population in the study area belonged to the weaker (i.e. economically and socially backward) sections.

Literacy




The analysis of the literacy levels (as per 2001 census) in the study area reveals an overall lower literacy rate in the study area. The study area experienced a moderate literacy rate of about 60% in 2001. The male and female literacy rates are reported to be about 69% and 51% respectively.

Occupational Pattern The occupational structure of residents in the study area is studied with reference to main workers, marginal workers and non-workers. The main workers include four (4) categories of workers, defined by the 2001 census, consisting of cultivators, agricultural laborers, those engaged in household industry and other services. The marginal workers are those workers engaged in some work for a period of less than six (6) months during the reference year prior to the census survey. The non-workers include those engaged in unpaid household duties, students, retired persons, dependents, beggars, vagrants etc. and industrial inmates or all other non-workers who do not fall under the above categories.

As per 2001 census records, altogether the main workers (20,121 nos.) are about 30% of the total population. The marginal workers and non-workers constitute 13% and 58% of the total population respectively.

The cultivators work out to 12% of the total main workers, while indicating the less importance to the primary agricultural sector. The female workers engaged in cultivation are very less and work out to be `2% of the total main workers. This indicates that the study area is changing its economic base from the previously prevailed agricultural predominance to the present non-agricultural occupations with diversifications.The agricultural laborers are 23% of the study area main workers. These comprise of 15% male and 8% female main workers.

The household industrial workers constitute 11% of the total main workers comprising of 8% males and 6% females. Most of the men and women are engaged in embroidery works of clothes, which fetch a good amount of income to both men and women. Other than embroidery, the males are engaged in carpentry and other workers. These include the workers employed in industrial and business establishments, construction activities, transportation and communications sector, government and private employment etc.,

Transport FacilitiesThe study area is served by road network only. This study area is traversed by NH#4 connecting Chennai with Bangalore, Thiruvallur-Chengalpet State Highway and Sriperumbudur – Vandalur and Sriperumbudur – Kodambakkam major district roads. Passenger bus services are available on all these major roads. All the villages in the study area are served by bus facility connecting them with Sriperumbudur town, however, the frequency of bus services varies depending on the size of the village.




Communication FacilitiesThe study area has a reasonable level of post and telegraphic services. Sriperumbudur town has all sorts of communication facilities such as post and telegraph office, telephone exchange etc. All villages in the study area have telephonic connectivity. All bigger villages have post offices and provided with public telephone booths. Besides the public communication facilities, privates STD and ISD telephone facilities are available in all big villages.

Power SupplyElectricity is supplied in all villages of the study area for domestic, agricultural, industrial and public lighting purposes.

Water Supply FacilityAll the villages in the study area are provided with a water supply system. The water supplies to the villages are made through construction of elevated services reservoirs and with a pipeline distribution network. Besides the tapped water supply system through public stand posts and domestic water connections, all villages have been provided with tube wells fitted with hand pumps.

Most of the villages in the study area have village ponds/ tanks. Villagers commonly use this water for non-drinking purposes. In case of failure of public water supply system, the villagers even use the pond water for drinking.

The villages also have open wells/ bore wells. However, open wells also seem to be the source for vector-borne and other water contaminated problems. Large numbers of the households use well water for bathing purposes and, therefore, face skin related problems. Even though toiler facilities are better, there are a few families who still opt for open defecation.

Educational FacilitiesSriperumbudur area has become a synonym for higher education in the state of Tamil Nadu. The educational facilities are more or less evenly distributed in the study area. These include primary, secondary, high and higher secondary schools, degree colleges, post graduate centres, medical and engineering colleges.

Every village and hamlet in the study area is having at least a primary school. All the high schools and higher secondary schools are situated in Sriperumbudur and larger villages.

Health FacilitiesDifferent types of health facilities are available in the study area, which include a hospital at Sriperumbudur and a primary health centre at Vallam village. Majority of the health facilities are concentrated in Sriperumbudur urban area. Some sort of a




health facility is available in all bigger villages of the study area. Besides the public health facilities, there are many private clinics and dispensaries in Sriperumbudur town as well as all the bigger villages.

Cultural and Heritage PlacesThere is no a historical monument or archeological structure in the study area. Rajiv Gandhi Memorial is a national monument located in the study area located at a distance of about 2 km from the proposed project site.

Sriperumbudur is the birthplace of the saint Sri Ramanujacharya, the founder of Vaishnava Cult, hence a religious and a historically important centre. A temple dedicated to the saint stand in the Sriperumbudur town.

Settlement PatternAs explained earlier this area is covered in Pondur Village, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu. The study area and their spatial distribution is as under.

TABLE 5.16 - SOCIO - ECONOMIC STATUS OF PONDUR VILLAGE




Parameter Total Male Female Percentage Sex Ratio

Population 2375 1226 1149 100 937Population (0-6) 291 137 154 13.96 1124Scheduled Castes 959 479 480 40.38 1002Scheduled Tribes 47 24 23 1.98 958Literates 1430 862 568 68.62 659Illiterates 945 364 581 31.38 1596Workers 974 621 353 41.01 568Main Workers 309 227 82 13.01 361Main Cultivators 31 28 3 10.03 107Main Agricultural labourers

34 17 17 11 500

Main Workers in household industries

46 26 20 14.89 769

Main Other Workers 198 156 42 64.08 1355Marginal Workers 665 394 271 28 18Marginal Cultivators 12 9 3 1.8 333Marginal Agricultural labourers

397 221 176 59.7 796

Marginal Workers in Household industries

57 17 40 8.57 2353

Marginal Other Workers 199 147 52 29.92 354Non Workers 1401 605 796 58.99 1316Households 458




The demographic and occupational details of villages in the study area are given in Appendix – 11. The medical reports of the workers are given in Appendix – 13.







The sex ratio is as follows:


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