For nearly a week leading up to World Environment Day, poultry carcasses — numbering over 300 — remained dumped in the Netravati river at Kanchikarpete, near Bantwal, 30 km from here. The river is the source of drinking water for Mangalore.
The carcasses are said to have been dumped at the mouth of a storm-water drain opening into the river, where the level of water is low and that appears to have contained the damage and prevented the carcasses from being washed downstream. Officials maintained that the water had not been contaminated.
Residents of the Kanchikarpete area say that the carcasses were dumped at the edge of the river on Sunday. Varija (54), a resident, said, “When I went for a walk on Sunday morning, I saw the carcasses dumped in the river. Such incidents have happened in the area earlier too. Around four years ago, it was dead pigs. Around one year ago, we saw the heads of cattle floating in the water.”
Vasanthi, a resident, said, “Since Sunday morning, the whole area has been stinking terribly. There were insects on the carcasses. Dogs take the carcasses and throw them everywhere on the road.”
After receiving information about the dumping of carcasses on Friday, the Bantwal town municipal council officials started cleaning up the area that evening. Revenue Inspector of the council Chennappa Gowda, who was supervising it on Saturday, said, “We have dug trenches on the banks of the river and buried the carcases in them. We have put bleaching powder to chlorinate the water.” Asked if the carcasses would cause contamination, he said “The bleaching powder will take care of it.”
Chief Officer of the Bantwal municipal council Shivalinga Kondagoli said that since there was very little water in the storm-water drain, the carcasses did not get washed away into the river. “Even now, there is very little water in the river in that area, so the carcasses do not spread (out).” he said.
Commissioner of the Mangalore City Corporation K.N. Vijayaprakash told The Hindu that he had sent two officials to the spot to assist the officials in Bantwal since it was a matter of drinking water supply to the city. “The water is tested everyday at the labs at the (Thumbe) dam site. The water has been chlorinated at the site,” he said.
Officials said that efforts were on to trace the culprits. Bantwal taluk officials, including the Chief Officer and the Revenue Inspector, said that the post of health inspector in the council had not been filled despite repeatedly bringing the matter to the notice of the Deputy Director of Municipal Administration. They admitted that at least two incidents of dumping of animal carcasses into the river had occurred in the past five years.
