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Acid rain in Mudigere: Streams turn red

Villagers say it could be a sign of bad times to come

Chikmagalur: People of three villages of Mudigere, Chikmagalur were taken aback on Sunday to see their streams turn red and talk about it being an omen of bad things to come spread like wildfire. But the explanation, as it turned out, was simple. The villages of Kurve, Niduvale and Vatekhan were seeing the after-effects of acid rain.

While it had drizzled between 6:30 pm and 7 pm on Sunday, people didn’t realise it was acid rain until the next morning when they saw the water filled in their drums and buckets had turned red. Nearby streams too sported the same effect, much to their surprise.

Said Mr Chandru, a photographer in Kurve, “This is our first encounter with acid rain. There was no fear but elders warned it could be an ominous sign.” An agronomist with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Mudigere explains that acid rain is caused when pollutants and greenhouse gases such as sulphur mix with heavy clouds.

Its suspected that chemicals let out from Mangalore, about 100 kms from Kalasa, could be responsible for the phenomenon in the villages of Mudigere. “We usually see acid rain in industrialized areas. Thankfully we don’t receive acid rain in high concentration. If we did it could even result in burns,” he said, warning that with the water in the stream having turned red, it may not be safe for drinking anymore.

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