Chennai: In the fishing hamlet of Nettukuppam in Ennore, around 150 houses have been battling life and health problems for the past several years – dust, wheeze and year-round damp roofs with black-brown deposits. The reason? Barely a kilometer away, near the North Chennai Thermal Power Station, heaps of fly ash mixed with river sand in the floodplain of Kosasthalaiyar river have not been cleared even as four years have passed. National Green Tribunal Orders were given to remove them.These fly ash particles – a powdery residue produced when coal is burned in thermal power plants – are the same residue from the leak in Tangedco’s fly ash slurry pipelines in 2017, when thousands of tonnes of toxic ash flowed into Ennore Creek and Kosasthalaiyar.“Problems arising from the proximity of fly ash have become a part of the lives of villagers living within a radius of 4-5 km. Children show symptoms of wheezing at night,” said Aravindan, a resident of Nettukuppam.While the NGT had ordered removal of fly ash deposited in creeks, river beds and flood plains and fixing leaks in pipelines carrying ash slurry, a visit times of India Ennore and surrounding settlements revealed that Tangedco was lagging behind.In a 1.5 km stretch of floodplains along the Ennore Pipeline Road – which houses Tangedco pipelines – ash-mixed river sand is spread across acres. Hot water seeped from at least two holes along the side of the pipeline, and many parts were rusted. Residents said the Kosasthalaiyar desilting work is incomplete in many parts, mainly near Athipattu Panchayat. “Flying ash along the Buckingham Canal will also need to be cleared. During low tide, fishermen can see ashes beneath the river bed,” said resident-activist Srinivasan.Tiruvallur Collector M Prathap, who last year had launched projects worth ₹28 crore to desilt the river, said, “About 80% of the first phase has been completed. Since it is an ongoing project, we will have to seek approval to start the second phase.”The thermal plant produces 2,000 tonnes of fly ash every day. While dry ash is stored in silos inside the plant complex, wet ash (mixed with water) is dumped into an ash dyke (pond) at Seppakkam through four pipelines. From there, the ash is picked up by the cement and construction industries, and the water is filtered and returned to the plant through two recovery pipelines.Tangedco officials said that since the court order, 12.39 lakh tonnes of ash has been removed in a phased manner by issuing tenders and in coordination with the water resources department. “All ash pipelines have been replaced although the deadline has been missed. Only the recovery pipelines (carrying water) are old, but their leaks have been plugged. As far as removal of fly ash is concerned, only selected parts are yet to be removed and tenders will be issued for this soon. Some tenders are on hold due to the recent elections,” said an official.Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board member-secretary E Saravanakumar said the Manali-Ennore Restoration and Rejuvenation Council, which was formed in 2024, keeps pollution levels under control. “Joint chief engineers conduct regular inspections. There has been no leakage of fly ash since the incident in 2017,” he said. However, a TNPCB engineer said that the water pipelines do leak from time to time, but all fly ash pipelines have been replaced and strengthened with cement holdings.Environmentalists say that there is a need for complete reform in this area. “At the ash dam, the lack of proper lining causes the ash to seep into the ground – and then into the canals as well,” said Durga Murthy, a volunteer with the Save Ennore Creek campaign.The state government conducted a study with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras to strengthen the ash pond and reduce pollution, but progress has been minimal. Govinda Rao, managing director of Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Limited, said, “The study has been completed. Efforts to strengthen it will begin soon.”This has become a livelihood issue for fishermen. Devan, a resident fisherman, said, “There was a time when crabs and prawns used to be in abundance here. Now, even the fish have been poisoned.”