Chennai: It’s not just Karnataka alone that is polluting Cauvery. Tamil Nadu too. The indiscriminate sand mining and untreated effluents from unauthorised textile dyeing and leather industries in Namakkal, Erode, Salem, Tirupur and Karur districts is damaging the ecology irrevocably. Cauvery delta districts contribute to 40 per cent of state’s food security, besides the river being a primary source of drinking water for lakhs of people. But still, Cauvery is left neglected and choking to death in many areas.
Though Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials claim there are only a few hundred industries, locals and environmentalists allege there are over 2,000 units, both big and small, in these districts putting tremendous pressure on the river and its tributaries. Over 1,000 textile dyeing units and 40 leather factories are concentrated near Cauvery banks at Pallipalayam, Komarapalayam in Namakal and Bhavani in Erode district.
There are about 500 factories on the banks of Amaravathi, a tributary to Cauvery, in Karur district and over 600 factories are ravaging Noyyal river, another Cauvery tributary, in Tirupur, says the Tamil Nadu Agriculturists Association. S. Ranganathan, general secretary of Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association, who first filed the case demanding the setting up of the Cauvery Tribunal in November 1983 which formed the basis for the legal battle on the river issue between riparian States, told Deccan Chronicle that both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu use Cauvery for political gains, but do little to protect it. “Tamil Nadu, which has filed petition in Supreme Court against Karnataka for polluting Cauvery, sits on the same boat. The Noyyal river and the Orathupalayam reservoir, which is the only dam in Cauvery delta region, are totally polluted and deemed unfit for both drinking and irrigation purposes. Unless the state government ensures zero effluent discharge from these high polluting industries, Cauvery won’t survive for too long”.
Nallaswamy, a farmer from Erode, said soil fertility has depleted rapidly in the last one decade. “I have 40 acres of agricultural land cultivating paddy and sugarcane. For one acre, I used to get 40 bags of paddy in 2005 and now I hardly get 30. These factories are not just polluting the river water, but also the ground water. Several borewells and open wells have been contaminated”, he says. The TNPCB has turned a blind eye to the issue.
A study by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), a few years ago, on soil quality in delta region showed that soil bacterial activity had deteriorated drastically in many pockets affecting production levels. Even, water pollution database of TN show that molar concentration of hydrogen (pH), dissolved oxygen (DO) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels in water samples collected from delta basin exceeding way above the tolerance limit.
Thousands of fish found dead near Mettur
On Sunday, thousands of fish were reportedly found dead in Pannavadi on Cauvery river bed near Mettur dam in Salem district. Local fishermen tipped-off TNPCB officials who collected water samples for testing.
The Cauvery water has turned pale bluish. Locals allege that fish have died due to water contamination and held Karnataka liable. They allege that raw sewage and industrial effluents released by Karnataka have caused the tragedy.Only a test report will reveal the truth. The report is expected in a day or two.
A TNPCB official, who preferred not to be quoted, says the problem does exist. There are factories that operate on the sly without permission. However, he took objection to the allegation that the department does nothing to fix the problem. “We keep raiding the units and seize the unauthorized factories. At times our lives will be in danger. In April, 2012, our officials were shot at when they raided a dyeing unit in Pallipalayam”.
In 2003, a farmers group moved the Madras HC against the pollution in Amaravathi and Noyyal river basin and demanded suitable compensation for loss of ecology. Subsequently, a Central team conducted study and declared that 14,164 hectares in 41 villages had been affected.
As a result of sustained legal battle, the HC in 2011 ordered closure of 459 dyeing units in Karur, which had not complied with the norms and installed effluent treatment plants. However, many of these units are said to have shifted their base to neighboring districts like Erode and Salem.
River abused in Tiruchy
DC reader N. Ramakrishnan, who has been following the continuous coverage on Cauvery, has written about how the river is abused in historical Tiruchirappalli. He says the river front view at Tiruchy, Chinthamani Padithurai, is totally destroyed by encroachers. About 2,000 illegal buildings encroached the Southern banks of Cauvery and polluted the river.
Mr Ramakrishnan claims around 9 million litres of sewage water is let out every day, by the northern and western areas of Tiruchy city. Also, about 1,000 to 1,500 kg of solid wastes are thrown into the river by occupants on its banks.
