Opposing the decision to supply huge quantity of water from the Tamirabarani to beverage manufacturing units in Gangaikondan Industrial Promotion Centre near here, people affiliated to various organisations submitted petitions to Collector M. Karuankaran on Monday.
Led by former Principal of MDT Hindu College and president of Confederation of Residents’ Welfare Associations V. Ponnuraj, a group of people came to the Collectorate shouting slogans and carrying placards against the supply of Tamirabarani water to the soft drink manufacturing units, and submitted a petition to the Collector to press for their demand.
The petitioners said the supply of several lakh litres of water from the Tamirabarani every day to the units manufacturing aerated beverages of Coke and Pepsi would seriously paralyse the supply of drinking water to several lakh people in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar districts.
Moreover, it would destroy farming operations on more than 86,000 acres.
“Supplying several lakh litres of water from the perennial river to the beverage manufacturing units is the direct attack on the livelihood of the farmers. Even as the district is facing the worst drought, the decision to continue the supply of water to the soft drink units will seriously affect drinking water supply to the residents and smother farming operations in the district,” Prof. Ponnuraj said.
The petitioners said the State government should cancel the agreement it had signed with the soft drink manufacturing units on supplying the river water. They also said sustained efforts should be taken to save the river from getting polluted with all sorts of waste, and check dams should be constructed across the river at every 3 km so as to save the surplus water from getting wasted into the sea during monsoon.
Pressing for the demand, members of voluntary organisations, students and Facebook friends also submitted separate petitions to the Collector during the weekly grievance meet.
