Polluted ‘oorani’ triggers panic among Tuticorin villagers

Instead of triggering jubilation among residents of South Silukkanpatti, the overflowing ‘Nallamuththamman oorani’ in the village has triggered panic as the water is polluted.

The ‘Nallamuththamman oorani,’ which once fulfilled the drinking water needs of South Silukkanpatti, went dry a few years ago, forcing the villagers to sink three deep bore wells around the waterbody. Water drawn from the tube wells quenched the thirst of the cattle.

But the water received by the ‘oorani’ after the recent rains has turned reddish brown and the villagers are afraid of using it for domestic consumption. “Since a factory near our village discharges highly toxic chemical waste into the stream that brings water to the ‘oorani,’ the water collected in the waterbody in the middle of our village is reddish brown and hence cannot be used for any purpose,” said Petchikannu, South Silukkanpatti panchayat ward member.

The villagers allege that no action had been initiated against the factory so far.

“I am insisting that industrial waste should not be discharged into the wild stream which brings water to our ‘oorani.’ The water collected from the ‘oorani’ has been sent for analysis and any further action can be taken only after getting the results,” said Shanthi Muthusamy, panchayat president, who works in the factory.

Village Administrative Officer Jancy visited the wild stream on Friday and submitted a report to revenue officials for further action. Officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board are also expected to visit the ‘oorani’ soon.