The officials of Pollution Control Board officials who tested the water samples have come to the conclusion that the industrial discharges were not the cause of pollution of Tungabhadra river in and around Kurnool city.
The Task Force of Pollution Control Board (PCB) carried out the tests by collecting samples at various points of the river and found that high growth of algae, decomposition of algae and increased levels of E Coli activity were the primary causes of river water pollution and the associated obnoxious odour.
The report noted that the flow in the river dwindled to minimum level and the water stagnation was noticed on the southern bund of the river while a lean flow was observed along the northern river bund.
The huge amount of water stagnated in the pools for a long period triggered the algae growth which caused serious depletion of oxygen levels in the water which in turn caused putrefaction of algae.
Decomposed algae
The decomposed algae caused obnoxious odour and released cyano toxins which were responsible for complaints of skin rashes.
Also a great amount of flow of sewage from the residential areas of Kurnool city was observed at various points which contributed to total coli and E coli activity. The report pointed out that the presence of coli would cause harm to downstream water users.
The PCB estimated that around 3,000 to 4,500 cubic meters of sewage was flowing into the river per hour and directed the Municipal Corporation to take immediate steps to intercept the sewage flow and construct the sewage treatment plant for a capacity of 1 million litres per day.
A high amount of sewage flow into the river was observed at Pump House, TGV House, Kota Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Raghavendra Mutt, Jammichettu and Laxmi Gardens into Hundri river.
The report is not likely to satisfy the political parties and organisations that launched a campaign against the industries blaming them for the pollution.
TG Bharat, Managing Director of TGV Group of Industries told The Hindu that the people should understand the ground realities and genuine reason for pollution. No chemical content were found in the water samples, he said.
