The residents of Kalmady, Kodavoor, and surrounding areas are angry at the pollution of the Indrani rivulet owing to discharge of sewage into it.
Water from three streams joined together and formed a small rivulet called Indrani Tirtha at Indrali here. This rivulet then meandered down through Beedinagudde, Kalsanka, Matadhabettu, Nittoor, Kambalakatte, and Kodavoor and joined the sea at Kalmady here.
Residents in Kalmady and surrounding areas blame the discharge of sewage along the route of the rivulet which passed through Udupi city for the pollution. The people living downstream bore the brunt of this pollution.
Santosh, who works at the Marikamba temple close to the vented dam across the rivulet at Kalmady, said that owing to the pollution, there were a lot of mosquitoes in the area. It also emanated foul smell during the evenings, he said.
Keshav Thingalaya, a resident, said that about two decades ago, people used to bathe and go fishing in the rivulet.
“Now, even if we just get into the rivulet, we end up with rashes. We have brought this matter of pollution to the notice of the elected representatives of all political parties, but it has not helped,” he said.
Suresh, an agriculturist who owns six acres of land, said that earlier people used to cultivate their fields using the water from the rivulet. “I used to grow three crops a year. Now, it has come down to one. The water in the rivulet cannot be used,” he said.
Balakrishna Kodavoor, another resident, complained that the wells in the area have also got contaminated owing to the pollution of the rivulet. People are now totally dependent on tap water supplied by the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC), he said.
The residents of these areas formed a committee called Indrani Hole Tyajya Mukti Andolana Samiti and also took out a padayatra n January 17 this year, to draw the attention of the authorities to the problem.
“The pollution is continuing. We are exploring all avenues, including approaching the National Green Tribunal, on this matter,” said Suresh Shetty Kodavoor, a leader of the Samiti.
The CMC said that it was putting in all efforts to solve the problem.
“We are already cleaning the route of the rivulet at Kalsanka. We will be extending the underground drainage (UGD) to all areas of the city. This will automatically stop any sewage discharge into the rivulet,” said D. Manjunathaiah, CMC Commissioner.
