Chennai: The Cauvery river has been the subject of an ancient dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Curiously, a note of unity has been struck over the issue of alarming levels of pollution in the river and the degradation of its natural resources.
The need for conservation has brought together people on opposing sides of the dispute. On December 9, religious heads from both TN and Karnataka will be heading a delegation to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the dangers surrounding the Cauvery and the urgent need for evolving a comprehensive strategy on lines of the Save Ganga project.
Speaking to DC, Swami Ramanand of Papparapatti in Dharmapuri, who is part of the delegation, said that PMO has already confirmed the appointment.
“So far, governments of both states have petitioned the Centre for Cauvery waters, but no one did much for the river's protection, which is fast becoming another Ganga. Waste waters emanating from municipal sewage and industrial effluent is filling the river with heavy metals threatening the health of people in riverine towns. Both the states are guilty here.”
The delegation will also be meeting Uma Bharti, Union minister for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation.
Arul Veeramani, an activist from Poompuhar, who will also be accompanying the delegation, said the Centre's Ganga cleaning project is a trendsetter and several foreign countries like France, UK, US, Netherlands, Poland and Israel are volunteering to contribute, which shows the concerns in the international community over protection of important water systems.
Likewise, steps should be taken to protect the Cauvery, which is a lifeline for TN and Karnataka supplying drinking water for crores of people and supporting sizable bio-diversity. Only recently, Cauvery Jagruti Teertayatra, a unique journey to create awareness among people not to pollute the river, was kick-started at the birthplace of the Cauvery at Talacauvery in Kodagu, Karnataka under the auspices of the Akhila Bharata Sanyasi Sangha.
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