Residents of villages near Pattabiram took out a rally on Sunday, seeking governmental intervention in preventing the pollution of the cleaner parts of the Cooum outside city limits.
The river, which originates from the surplus of the Cooum tank in Tiruvallur district, and drains into the Bay of Bengal near Napier bridge, is nearly 65 kilometres long. While the 16-km stretch of the river within Chennai city limits is polluted, the portion of the river upstream of Paruthipattu checkdam near Avadi serves as a source of drinking water and irrigation.
Residents of Anaikattucheri and Kannapalayam near Pattabiram complained that municipal authorities are planning to link treated sewage from areas such as Avadi and Thirumazhisai to the unpolluted stretch of the Cooum river.
Nearly 500 people from villages located around Pattabiram participated.
K. Mugundhan, co-ordinator of Unpolluted Cooum Protection Committee, said six villages, including Thirumanam and Sorancheri, located between Poonamallee and Pattabiram depended on the drinking water sourced from borewells near the river. “Even if the sewage is treated, how can we be assured of the quality? We want the authorities concerned to drop the proposal. Instead, pipelines may be laid to link it directly to the sea,” he said.
