‘Remove water hyacinth from Sellur tank’

Madurai

A group of members from Democratic Youth Federation of India staged a demonstration near Sellur tank in Madurai on Sunday demanding immediate action to arrest the discharge of untreated sewage into the tank and remove water hyacinth from the tank.

Residents and environmentalists were in for a shock when they discovered foam and froth was floating in Sellur tank on Saturday, following the heavy rains witnessed in the district on Friday night. Fire and Rescue Services personnel sprayed water to subside the foam, which was around four feet in height.

The district secretary of DYFI T. Selva said that indiscriminate discharge of untreated sewage into waterbodies in the city resulted in formation of foam in the Sellur tank. "Some people also suspect that industries discreetly release chemical effluents into water bodies, which has resulted in formation of froth," he added.

There is wild growth of water hyacinth, an invasive aquatic weed, in the Sellur tank. "The presence of water hyacinth indicate that the tank is contaminated with untreated sewage. The mosquito menace has increased due to the wild growth of water hyacinth," he said.

Hence, the civic body must take steps to arrest the discharge of sewage into the waterbodies, added Mr. Selva.