Vaigai river was seminal to Tamil literature, culture and civilisation. Any damage to the waterbody would affect the future generations,” said S. Janakarajan, president of SaciWaters (South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resource Studies).
Speaking on river resilience at Madurai Symposium here on Friday, Mr. Janakarajan explained how the head, the middle and the tail of the river were severely affected due to rapid urbanisation. Rampant deforestation and construction of tourist spots near the head of the Vaigai river had damaged the riverine system.
Due to encroachments and sand mining, the middle stretch of the river had also been ruined. “Seeing the amount of garbage and sewage in the river is disheartening. During the 1970s, the water flowed in the Vaigai. It helped in irrigation and almost filled 1,000 tanks along its course. In 1991, the Ramanathapuram big tank overflowed. We cannot dream of seeing this any more,” he said. The development paradigm had taught people to destroy rivers which could never be brought to life again, he said. Professor Janakarajan said that since the Vaigai was a natural capital, the Tamil Nadu government should restore the river according to guidelines from the first settlement register that was recorded by British officers who measured the area in acres.
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“In Tamil Nadu, the surface runoff is 90 % and infiltration 10 %. Unless we take steps to conserve groundwater, we will face acute water shortage for many years to come,” he said.