MYSURU: The Cauvery river, the vital lifeline for several districts in Karnataka, is losing its pristine condition at Srirangapatna because of lack of a proper mechanism to control pollution, particularly that caused by religious rituals such as asthi visarjan (immersion of ashes of the deceased), which has been a long-standing tradition.
Authorities have now initiated steps and drawn up plans to create designated sites to conduct rituals and to divert underground drainage (UGD) water to prevent the river from getting contaminated.
Thousands of devotees from across the country visit the sacred sites of Paschimavahini, Sangama, Gosai Ghat and Snana Ghatta at Srirangapatna to perform last rites and other rituals. The river here is regarded as holy as it is a confluence and immersion of ashes is believed to help departed souls attain moksha (liberation). Incidentally, the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi too were immersed at Paschimavahini.
But while performing these rituals, people throw garlands, clay pots and other puja items into the river, greatly polluting the waterbody. As there is no oversight or enforcement, these rituals are conducted at different places along the riverbank, forcing the civic body to clean up the river and its banks regularly.
Raising concerns over unchecked rituals, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha district convener Kiranguru Papu aka Mohan Kumar has long campaigned for restricting them to designated sites. “Paschimavahini and Sangama have specific spots where these rituals were traditionally conducted for centuries.
But now an increasing number of visitors from other states conduct these at random locations, severely polluting the river, which is a source of drinking and irrigation water. Because of our persistent protests, the authorities have now initiated measures to curb pollution,” he said.
Srirangapatna Town Municipal Council Chief Officer M Rajanna confirmed that immersion rituals are identified as a major source of pollution in the river.
“A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the high court. Later, the deputy commissioner formed a committee comprising district-level officers to plan the development of proper infrastructure to address the problem. A tender has been floated to prepare a Detailed Project Report,” Rajanna said.
Under the new initiative, dedicated facilities will be created at all four key sites, Paschimavahini, Sangama, Gosai Ghat and Snana Ghatta. These facilities will include systems to prevent ash from mixing directly with river water, along with infrastructure to remove silt. Each site will be developed at an approximate cost of Rs 1 crore.
Measures have also been taken to address sewage inflow. “A new underground drainage system is being constructed at Rs 16.5 crore to prevent town sewage from entering the river. This work is progressing and will be completed soon,” he said.