Members of Vaigai Nadhi Makkal Iyakkam appealed to the Madurai Corporation and the district administration to stop discharge of effluents and sewage into Vaigai as a part of an awareness campaign carried out at the riverbed near Kuruvikkaran Salai on Sunday.
“If effluents, sewage and medical wastes are kept out of the riverbed, it will automatically reduce the amount of garbage being thrown into the riverbed by the people. The river has water for only about four months in a year, and toxic effluents are let inside the river for the rest of the year,” said M. Karthik, joint organiser of the Iyakkam.
Distributing pamphlets to the public about pollution of the riverbed and the steps to be taken to prevent it, the members said that discharge of effluents into the riverbed had led to pollution of groundwater in the nearby areas.
“Cement debris is dumped and tyres are burnt along the riverbank. Human waste is also dumped on the banks and many people use the riverbed for open defecation,” Mr. Karthik said.
Tonnes of wastes
Stating that nearly 98 lakh litres of sewage and effluents were being released into the riverbed on a daily basis, the members of the Iyakkam urged the public to not throw garbage into the river and said that there were tonnes of plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes which were polluting the riverbed.
In a statement, they said that the eight-km stretch of the river inside the city had to be protected in order to restore the river to its former glory.
