Garbage accumulated at the Palar river bed. (Photo | EPS)
Garbage accumulated at the Palar river bed. (Photo | EPS)

Palar river bed turns into a dump yard, Vellore city corporation causes irreparable damage

 Vellore city municipal corporation has been causing irreparable damage to the already ailing river which lies bare with water forming just a pool only at certain points.

VELLORE: A few women are rummaging through the piles of solid wastes. They have to fight with ferocious-looking bulls that are munching on leftover edibles to find recyclable plastic goods. Vehicles painted in dark green continue to run through the bumpy path to offload garbage collected from different parts of the city. This is not a scene at a dump yard but on the middle of the Palar river bed, close to the collectorate in Sathuvachari, Vellore.

Throwing the guidelines of conservation of water bodies and the environment in the wind, the Vellore city municipal corporation has been causing irreparable damage to the already ailing river which lies bare with water forming just a pool only at certain points.

AC Venkatesan, president of Palar Protection Committee, said, “Without bothering about the consequences, the corporation authorities are dumping the solid wastes on the river bed regularly. Instead of protecting the river, the government agency itself is damaging it.”

Not only in Vellore city, but also in several places, the civic bodies located close to Palar river are using the river bed as a dump yard causing huge damage to the river, he rued.

The unscrupulous men dig up smaller pits, dump the wastes into them, and close them by covering with sand.

Frequently, they set the wastes on fire as well, creating health hazards to the people staying at habitations close to the river bed.

“They are frequently setting the garbage on fire. Thick smoke continues to spread around causing us irritation and breathing problems,” lamented A Raguraman, a resident of Sathuvachari.

When confronted, the officials of the civic body are cool in their response.

City Health Officer T Mannivannan, said, “Sometimes people may dump the wastes unknowingly, I will look into it.”

Private parties too bring garbage on mini-goods vehicles to dump it on the river bed. Liquid wastes are also pumped into Palar river, once a major source of water catering to the needs of irrigation and drinking purposes.

When queried about the issue, Vellore city municipal corporation commissioner K Krishnamoorthy told Express, “I will ask our health officer to look into the issue immediately and take necessary action.”

Palar Venkatesan flayed the corporation officials of disrespecting an undertaking made before the Madras High Court a few years ago on a case relating to dumping wastes into the river. “Despite giving an undertaking on a case filed by Save Palar movement, the corporation gave an undertaking that it will not dump wastes but they are not respecting it.”

At a time Tamil Nadu government has been giving thrust to conservation of water bodies through effective implementation of Kudimaramath scheme, activists express shock over the civic body of the Fort City itself causing damage to the river.

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