TN forms panels to check pollution of Cauvery river

Water samples have been taken to ascertain the level of contamination to initiate action
Cauvery river (File photo)
Cauvery river (File photo)

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday said five committees have been constituted to monitor the Cauvery river, which according to a study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) is polluted with a range of emerging pollutants, including pharma contaminants.

Cauvery water samples from Mettur to Mayiladuthurai were taken by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) engineers to ascertain the level of contamination and to initiate appropriate action, said the Environment and Climate Change Minister Siva V Meyyanathan in a statement.

It added, the State has been taking steps to prevent the pollution of rivers, including the Cauvery. “The latest initiative was to constitute five panels comprising the TNPCB on October 6 to monitor if untreated effluent from the dyeing units in Erode, Kumarapalayam, Pallipalayam, Karur, and Tiruppur were discharged into the Cauvery and its tributaries,” said the minister, adding the committees are inspecting the units in the said areas. “Efforts are on to obtain advice of experts including those from IIT-M to prevent pollution of the Cauvery,” Meyyanathan said.

The IIT-M study was carried out with joint funding from Water Technology Initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and the UK Natural Environment Research Council. 
It found a range of emerging contaminants including personal care products, flame retardants, etc.

The study has revealed presence of high concentration at least 15 pharmaceutical contaminants, including anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and diclofenac; anti-hypertensives such as atenolol and isoprenaline; enzyme inhibitors like perindopril; stimulants like caffeine; antidepressants such as carbamazepine, and antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin.

The key recommendations of the study are regular monitoring of rivers and their tributaries for contamination. Additionally, it also stated the need to upgrade wastewater treatment systems to reduce levels of emerging contaminants in receiving water bodies such as rivers.

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