The Hindu 03.01.2011
River Bhavani turns garbage dump
The municipality’s indifferent act has come as a shock to environmental activists
Needs attention: Garbage being dumped on the banks of River Bhavani in Erode district. — PHOTO:M.GOVARTHAN
Garbage generated within Bhavani Municipal limits ends up on the banks
of River Bhavani, causing irreversible damage to the environment.
Over 20 tonnes of waste, including plastic, generated in
the municipality is dumped on the banks of the river every day. River
Bhavani is one of the tributaries of River Cauvery, which is a lifeline
for lakhs of farmers in the State. The municipality’s indifferent act
has come as a shock to the residents, farmers and environmental
activists.
“The civic administration is supposed to prevent others
from polluting the river. If the municipality starts polluting the
river, private organisations will not hesitate to harm the environment,”
R. Ramakrishnan, a senior citizen, points out.
The alarming levels of pollutants in the rivers in the
district had already driven many farmers to change their occupation. “We
have been fighting for years to protect River Cauvery and its
tributaries from the textile and tannery units. The municipal officials,
instead of fighting along with us, are deliberately polluting the
river,” C. Mariappan, a farmer said.
“It appears that the officials in the municipality have
decided to ignore the laws and regulations on preserving the environment
and had given the go ahead for turning the river into a dump,” S.
Palanisamy, a teacher alleged.
Collector’s visit
The dumping of garbage had begun after Collector T.
Soundiah visited the town and instructed the officials to prevent the
people and commercial establishments from polluting the river.
When asked, Municipal Commissioner in-charge S.
Palanisamy said, “We do not have a proper compost yard for dumping the
garbage. So we have no choice but to dump the garbage on the banks of
the river.”
No compost yard
The municipality had acquired 10 acres of land for the
construction of dump yard in Punnam village. “Due to strong opposition
from the villagers, we could not start the work,” Mr. Palanisamy said.
