Tamil Nadu

Dumping garbage on river banks poses health hazard

— PHOTO: N. BASHKARAN

Eyesore: Pigs at a garbage dump on the banks of Thenpennaiar in Kaveripattinam.

Krishnagiri: The failure of the Kaveripattinam town panchayat in possessing a garbage yard of its own has resulted in plastic waste and garbage being indiscriminately dumped on the banks of Thenpennaiar posing a grave health hazard.

Residents are sore over the increased degradation of the river, which meets the drinking water requirements of Krishnagiri Municipality and neighbouring town panchayats.

The river has been a major source in augmenting the ground water level in Krishnagiri and Kaveripattinam towns. But now with bore wells being sunk on its banks and the failure to clean the garbage on them has resulted in the ground water level receding rapidly.

The ecological balance is threatened by the dumping of plastic and sewage into the river. In fact, none of the hotels here adheres to pollution control norms.

The residents and service organisations have urged the district administration to immediately clean the river banks as the water quality has dropped turning brackish.

The infiltration wells in the river have also been completely polluted, they say.

The residents say that with the garbage on the banks not cleared for months together an outbreak of vector borne diseases such as malaria and filaria looms large in most of the surrounding residential colonies.

Sources in the district administration point out that a comprehensive solid waste disposal management plan has been mooted and self-help groups will be engaged for collection and disposal of garbage.

A ban on the dumping of garbage and plastic waste on the river banks will be enforced and stringent action will be initiated against violators.

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