Krishnagiri: Bengaluru generates more than 1,400 million litres of sewage waste every day. About 40 per cent of the untreated sewage enters Tamil Nadu after it is discharged into the South Pennar”.
The sewage-contaminated water pollutes the ground water resources at places along the course of the river. Besides, the polluted South Pennar also poses risk for the wild animals including jumbos in the Krishnagiri forest region, say activists.
“The wild sanctuary formed to protect the wild animals especially jumbos found in the Krishnagiri forest region cannot be saved if Tamil Nadu fails to act against Karnataka for polluting the South Pennar” the secretary of the Hosur Bar Association, G. Kathiravan said.
During the migration season, elephants move out of the forest and enter the Hosur and Shoolagiri forest region where the pachyderms consume water from the South Pennar river, which would bring harm to the wild animals, say activists.
The farmers from Tamil Nadu should not demand transporting of South Pennar water for filling the dried lakes in the district. “The farmers association unaware of the pollution issue have demanded the state to divert the river water for filling the dried lakes in Krishnagiri.
“They should stop such demands because the dangerously polluted water would cause damage to the ground water resources in the region leading to other issues like kidney damage and cancer for the people consuming the water,” Kathiravan said.
10 sheep die after drinking polluted Pennar water
Around ten dead sheep were found in the South Pennar River at Varathur in the neighbouring Karnataka and Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. The sheep allegedly died after drinking water from the South Pennar that receives untreated sewerage both domestic and industrial effluents from Bengaluru discharged into the river.
The officials in the Tamil Nadu pollution Control Board (TNP CB) office in Hosur of Krishnagiri district on anonymity admitted that sewage from Karnataka had heavily polluted the South Pennar.
The water samples collected from the Kelavarapalli dam in Hosur of Krishnagiri, when tested showed 1,000 milligrams of total dissolved solids (TDS). “This shows that industrial waste are also discharged into the river,” he said.
However, no further action has been initiated against the polluting state fearing that Karnataka would stop inflow of water into South Pennar on Tamil Nadu side.
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