The Save Bhavani Trust has sought the District Collector’s intervention in improving the quality of River Bhavani water. In its petition, submitted on Monday, it said that the water the residents of Mettupalayam town and villages in the neighbourhood used from the river had turned polluted, as recent reports have suggested.
Reports had clearly suggested that the river water’s biological properties had drastically reduced because of the presence of chemicals. Instead, the presence of coliform and microbes had increased.
Industries
The presence of chemicals - heavy metals - was because of the recent setting up of industries near the river. Though the industries claim to comply with pollution control norms, a thorough check was necessary so as to identify the reason for the water contamination.
This was important because around 1.5 lakh people were dependent on the river. Not just people, but also cattle and wild animals.
Disposal of municipal waste had also led to deterioration of water quality and that had been accentuated by the construction of barrages for power generation. The Trust, therefore, would urge the Collector to immediately stop the move to control the natural flow of river water by talking to TANGEDCO that uses the barrages to generate power.
Use of barrages resulted in water getting stagnated in the river for months and the result was that the water released foul odour. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board should monitor the discharge of effluents into the river.
The Collector should also ensure the speedy completion of the underground drainage in Mettupalayam. He should also take up with the State Government the Kerala Government’s move to construct check dams across River Bhavani.
