Farms have encroached all along the river bed flowing out from the Emerald Dam, prompting concerns that the agricultural run off from these fields could poison the stream which drains into the Kundah Dam.
Crops such as carrots, potatoes and cabbage are being grown all along the stream, which has completely dried up because of the lack of rainfall this year.
The stream-bed attracts encroachments because the soil is rich in nutrients and often gives good yields, said revenue department officials, who have been working to get the encroachments removed.
Environment activists have also flagged up concerns that agricultural run off from the farms could pollute the water in the Kundah Dam, which would in turn contaminate the waters of the Bhavani River.
G. Janardhanan, president of the Ooty Town Public Awareness Organisation, said that the pesticides used to grow the crops contaminate the waters downstream.
“Already, most of the water bodies in the Nilgiris have become polluted, while some have been completely lost altogether.
The authorities need to wake up and remove such encroachments immediately,” he said.
Officials from Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), said that they, along with revenue department officials had removed around 40-45 acres of encroachments along the stream bed.
“As there are some pockets with standing crop left, we have told them to harvest the crops and stop farming after,” the official said.
TANGEDCO has also sent a proposal to fence the areas belonging to them, but officials said that there were more encroachments further downstream.
“These areas do not come under the control of TANGEDCO, but to the revenue department,” an official said.
