The Vrishabhavati, a tributary of the Arkavati, is a stark example of how a good source of pure drinking water has turned into a polluted cesspool.
This river, which catered to the water needs (including drinking) of residents of villages located on its banks all along from Bengaluru to Ramanagaram, is now a carrier of all sorts of industrial toxic effluents, domestic and agricultural waste.
The area around the river on Mysuru Road has several factories which discharge effluents. These include factories making industrial components, electroplating works, heavy metals, textile, automobiles, and carbonated/aerated beverages, all of which dispose waste into the river through their drainage systems.
As a result, people living in the vicinity of Byramangala, Ittamadu, Chowkahalli, Shanamangala, Ramanahalli, Sheshagirihalli and Gopahalli are facing health hazards. The pollution has an effect on agriculture too.
Reminiscing the river before it lost its sheen, veteran environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy, who was also the former Environment Secretary, told The Hindu that no efforts had been made to revive the river even after the High Court of Karnataka issued a notice to the State government in the past.
“Prior to 1950 and even up to 1970, I remember the river to be pure and pristine. People used to drink its water and use it directly for other purposes. However, by the 1990s the river had turned into a cesspool of toxic effluents,” he said, and added that there needs to be a strong political will to revive this local source of water.
Published - May 17, 2016 08:17 am IST
