RAMANATHAPURAM: Stating the long-stating issue of sewage mixing with the Agni Theertham sea in Rameswaram, fishermen and social activists associated with CITU staged a protest by blowing conch shells while standing in the sea and urged the local body to put an end to the issue.
According to sources, the protestors stated that despite submitting a series of petitions to officials and political leaders, no action was taken towards preventing sewage from being released into the sea.
While speaking, Karunamoorthi, a CITU district functionary and activist from Ramanathapuram, said, "The works for underground sewage system pipelines, which started back in 2017, remain incomplete till date. Due to this, sewage from the entire Rameswaram municipality is directly released into the sea near agni theertham. Apart from sewage, drainage from resorts and commercial establishments are also being released into the sea, creating a haphazard situation at the agni theertham."
He added that thousands of devotees from across the country who visit the Ramanathaswamy temple take the holy dip in the agni theertham. "The water pollution would not only affect the environment but also cause health issues in the devotees taking the dip in agni theertham. The traditional fishermen in the locality are also facing hardships owing to the sewage being let into the sea," said the functionary.
Speaking to TNIE, K E Nasarkhan, the chairperson of Rameswaram municipality, said, "Immediately after people raised concerns regarding the issue, the Rameswaram municipality took measures to prevent the sewage being released by resorts by blocking it using backhoe loader vehicles. To prevent the resorts from further releasing the waste into the sea, the municipality will monitor the venue. We are also looking into permanent solutions to the issue."
Pacifying the protesters, senior officials from the Rameswaram local body assured to take immediate action to prevent sewage from mixing with agni theertha and towards completing the pending UGSS works, following which protesters dispersed from the venue.