Farmers demand steps to prevent discharge of effluents into River Thirumanimuthar

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The coordination committee president of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu P.R. Pandian inspecting Thirumanimuthar River at Kandampatti in Salem on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The coordination committee president of the All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu, P.R. Pandian, urged the State government to take steps to prevent the discharge of effluents into River Thirumanimuthar.

Mr. Pandian, on Saturday, inspected the river at Kandampatti on the Salem-Bengaluru National Highway along with farmers.

Mr. Pandian told reporters that Thirumanimuthar originates at the point where the Kalvarayan Hills and Shervaroyan Hills meet. It flows through Salem and joins River Cauvery at Paramathi Velur in Namakkal district. He claimed that discharge of dyeing effluents into the river has contaminated both the water body and the groundwater. It has also polluted the Cauvery, the drinking water source for five crore people in the State. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay should take steps to prevent effluents from entering the river, Mr. Pandian added.

Stating that the accumulation of solid waste was affecting the river‘s flow under a bridge at Kandampatti bypass locality, Mr. Pandian called for its removal. He alleged that the Sewage Treatment Plants setup in the four zones of the Salem Corporation were non-functional. A hunger strike will soon be held in Salem to save the river, Mr. Pandian added.

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