TIRUPPUR: The Nallaru River, which quenched the thirst of people in the northern part of Tiruppur district about 40 years ago, has now, according to residents, turned into a mere sewage canal. Social activists, the public and voluntary organisations have joined hands to reclaim the waterbody, which is heavily polluted and in a dire state. The Nallaru Pathukappu Iyakkam has now initiated the task to coordinate them.
Nallaru River originates from small streams in Annur in Coimbatore district and travels to Nanjarayan Lake in Tiruppur district, where it merges with the Noyyal River. The river flows through Karuvalur, Avinashi Municipality, Thirumuruganpoondi Municipality, Tiruppur Corporation wards and a few village panchayats along the way.
There is an allegation that this small river, which is about 27-km-long, is currently encroached upon at many places along its banks. The river, which was a freshwater waterbody a few decades ago, has now become a sewage stream. Amidst persistent calls for the government to reclaim it, the public has now stepped in to save the river.
R Govindaraj, president of the Nallaru Pathukappu Iyakkam, said, "About 40 years ago, when I was a boy, this river served as a source of drinking water. During non-monsoon seasons, clean water flows wherever we dig in the river. Moreover, large tracts of agricultural land along both banks of the river, from Annur to the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary, depended on the river. Everything has changed now due to the increase in population. Sewage from all local bodies along the river is discharged into it. People also dump plastic waste into the river. As a result, the river has become completely polluted."
"If this situation continues, the river will disappear. Therefore, it is our duty to protect the river that sustains our lives. We have decided to clean and dredge the river from beginning to end. Rotary clubs from Annur, Karuvalur and Avinashi, the chairman of Thirumuruganpoondi Municipality, private schools, voluntary organisations and social activists have joined hands with us for this initiative. We did not collect money from anyone for this. We have assigned a certain part of the river to each of them. They will carry out the work at their own expense. Already the work has begun to save the river using heavy construction and earthmoving machinery. We plan to complete the work within a month," he added.
P Subramani, councillor of Thirumuruganpoondi Municipality and executive committee member of the Nallaru Pathukappu Iyakkam, said, "Seemai Karuvelam, water hyacinth and plastic waste are piled up in the river. We are currently removing these. We plan to discuss the disposal of plastic waste through local bodies after cleaning the river. Furthermore, as the next step, we intend to raise awareness among local bodies about treating sewage before discharging it into the river."
A Saravanan, a social activist, said, "Nallaru is one of the rivers caught in encroachments in Tiruppur. The river is encroached upon at many places along its banks, including Avinashi, TM Poondi, Angeripalayam, Vengamedu, Poyampalayam and Pichampalayam. Due to encroachments, the width of the river has shrunk in many places. The WRD should take action and restore the river."
TNIE was unable to reach S K Jayaprakash, executive engineer, WRD.