With a public outcry for cleaning Indrani rivulet which flows through the city increasing, the Udupi city municipal council has set aside ₹16 lakh for cleaning it.
Three streams join together and form a small rivulet called Indrani Tirtha and this meanders down the city through Beedinagudde, Kalsank, Matadhabettu, Nittoor, Kambalakatte, Kodavoor and Kalmady and then joins the sea. However, the disposal of garbage and the discharge of drainwater is polluting this rivulet and that becomes evident as summer approaches.
People living downstream in Kalmady and Kodavoor have to bear the foul smell and the increase in mosquitoes, which they blame on the pollution.
Balakrishna Kodavoor, coordinator of Indrani Tirtha Koleche Nirmulana Samiti, said that untreated water from the sewage storage plant and sewage treatment plant at Nittoor was overflowing and contaminating the rivulet. Nearly 300 wells from Kodankur to Bobbaryapade had also got contaminated.
“This has also affected nearly 400 acres of agricultural land from Kodavoor and its surrounding areas. Due to increasing pollution people do not cultivate during summer, which was not the case a couple of decades back,” he said.
The samiti had submitted a memorandum to the authorities a couple of days back here drawing attention to increasing pollution of the rivulet and enumerating all problems faced by the people.
“But as usual, they keep giving evasive replies,” Mr. Kodvaoor said.
Meanwhile, G. Jagadeesha, Deputy Commissioner, said that the municipal council had drawn up an action plan of ₹16 lakh for the cleaning of the rivulet and tenders have been floated for it. If necessary, more funds would be provided for it. “We will ask the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation to do a survey on complaints of contamination of the rivulet subject to government approval. We will decide on a public awareness campaign on stopping pollution of the rivulet,” he added.
