A group of villagers from Vaippar submitted a petition to Collector M. Ravikumar on Monday to prevent saltpan owners from discharging waste water into the nearby Vaippar river, the only water source in the region.
The petitioners said that the wastewater released by salt manufacturers from their saltpans on over 800 acres of land had polluted the river and consequently the groundwater.
A petition was submitted to the Collector on December 1, 2014, seeking his intervention.
Subsequently, a committee comprising villagers, salt manufacturers and officials was constituted to find an amicable solution to this problem.
When the saltpan owners sought 90 days for diverting the wastewater into the sea via a designated channel, it was granted.
Encroachments
Moreover, the salt manufacturers were asked to remove encroachments from the Vaippar. However, the salt manufacturers were not taking any efforts.
“If the discharge of wastewater from the saltpans is not stopped immediately, we’ll block vehicular traffic on East Coast Road,” they said.
