COIMBATORE: Toxic foam was seen flowing out of Noyyal river once again on Saturday and even as the public pointed the finger at industrial effluents released into the river, officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board categorically denied such claims.
Instead, the officials said it was the residents who are to blame as they release sewage into the river. The foaming was evident beneath the Poosaripalayam bridge near Selvampathy lake and Pattanam Pudur.
It can be remembered that only a few days ago, vast stretches of the shores of Pattinapakkam in Chennai were filled with foam.
S Kumar, a resident near Poosaripalayam said the Noyyal river foams up very often and added that passersby can always experience a strong stench coming from the region. But M Mathivanan, an advocate, blamed it on the dyeing units and goldsmiths from the region who allegedly release chemicals into the river.
"There are a few dyeing units along the river bed that release toxic effluents into the waterbody. There are also goldsmiths who do that. The issue is ever-present," he said.
Mathivanan also said the water channels of the river must be marked so as to prevent encroachment.
When contacted, a senior official from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board claimed that some residents are reportedly releasing sewage into the river, leading to the frothing issue.
"The foam appears whenever the turbulent level is high in the sewage water. The water samples recently tested in the laboratory showed that there were no possibilities of wastewater from industries being released into the river," the official added.