THOOTHUKUDI/TIRUNELVELI: River Thamirabarani was in the headlines recently: The carbon dating of rice found inside a burial urn in Thoothukudi’s Sivakalai returned a date of 1,155 BCE. The discovery indicated the civilisation that existed on the river’s banks could be 3,200 years old. What followed was a flurry of activity in the State capital, with the Chief Minister announcing the establishment of a museum in Tirunelveli and joint archaeological expeditions with neighbouring States.
While all that was afoot, thick, black sewage from the urban settlements in Thoothukudi kept flowing into the river, the State’s only perennial one. It’s not that authorities are unaware of the situation; they do and had even devised an action plan to rejuvenate the river. But all projects, however, are yet to even begin. It may be noted that over 30 water supply schemes are functioning in Thoothukudi, drawing nearly 200 MLD (Million Litre Per Day) daily from river Thamirabarani.
When asked, Additional Director of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli town panchayat administration told TNIE that the Director of Municipal Administration had inspected the sewage outfall a week ago. They are yet to decide on the technology to be used for the treatment plant, he said, adding that the best and cost-effective technology would be adopted once a consultant gives a report.
Meanwhile, activist Muthalankurichi Kamarasu said the district administration should form a committee to get advice of the public to protect the river. “While an action plan has been devised for protecting the river, its channels are still being polluted due to direct discharge of sewage at various places.” Activist SP Muthuraman said the river should be given the legal status of an individual. “Bangladesh had declared all rivers as human beings in 2019,” he pointed out.
AG Murugesan, an environmental expert, attributed the proliferation of water hyacinth to the presence of nitrates and phosphates reaching into the water ecosystem through sewage. Chemical fertilisers used in farmlands could also discharge nitrates and phosphates into the river, he added.
Spreads of water hyacinth are found for kilometers on end at Kaliyavur, Maruthur and Srivaikuntam anaicuts, all the check dams and several of the system irrigation tanks. This invasive species prevents penetration of sunlight into the water, preventing oxygen production and destroying the river ecosystem. In the absence of fish and other aquatic species, the water quality further deteriorates, emeritus professor in environmental science, Dr AG Murugesan, told TNIE. The long roots of the plant also hinders free flow of water, stagnating it. “Atmospheric oxygen exchange happens largely on running waters, but the growth of water hyacinths prevents it,” he said.
In the upstream Tirunelveli, too, Tamirabarani’s plight is not much different. Over the past several years, both the district administration and NGOs have made several attempts to clean the river. Most didn’t make an impact, according to sources.
A resident, who has been observing the river for the past several years, said Tamirabarani still flows, not because of human intervention but because of the river’s floods, which occur every few years. He said this helps wash away sewage and other wastes.
Conservation efforts
After consulting with volunteer organisations, environmentalists, and experts, Tirunelveli Collector V Vishnu has launched an initiative to restore the river. The initiative includes marking the trails of Thamirabarani and mapping its connected waterbodies. It is an engineering solution that will function without interruption, the collector said.
“Public, government, volunteers, and NGOs will participate in the project and the work carried out will be updated on a digital atlas on a website. Students would be taken on a one-day tour and taught about the river and its biodiversity.” The NGOs directly contributing to the initiative are ATREE, Care Earth Trust, and Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI).