Five committees set up to monitor pollution in Cauvery

Move follows findings of study done by IIT-M researchers

Five committees, comprising engineers of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, have been set up to monitor the discharge of effluents from dyeing and bleaching units into the Cauvery and its tributaries in different parts of the State, according to Siva V. Meyyanathan, Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Youth Welfare and Sports.

Pointing out that the panels were constituted on Wednesday, the Minister, in a statement on Saturday, referred to the location of the units in Erode, Kumarapalayam, Pallipalayam, Karur and Tiruppur.

Mr. Meyyanathan’s statement followed the release of the findings of a study by researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on the level of pollution in the Cauvery.

As pointed out by the researchers, water samples from the stretch of the river from Mettur to Mayiladuthurai were taken on Saturday and sent for testing.

Other effluents

In addition, steps were being taken to prevent the pollution of the river by other contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and medical and plastic waste.

For this purpose, researchers from IIT-M and other experts in the field would be approached for suggestions, Mr. Meyyanathan said.