DHARMAPURI: Farmers and environmentalists urged the Dharmapuri administration to clear encroachments along the Sanathkumar river, saying the water flow to over a dozen lakes is getting disrupted, leading to the shrinking of the river.
Sanathkumar river is one of the key rivers flowing through Dharmapuri and is crucial for the groundwater recharge in Nallampalli and parts of Palacode. This rain-fed river originates in the foothills of Vathalmalai and crosses over dozens of lakes and finally flows into the Thenpennai river. However, massive encroachments along the river basin have disrupted the flow of the river, causing the shrinkage.
Environmentalists claimed that, if encroachments are not removed the Sanathkumar river would cease to exist. Commenting on the matter, M Umashankar, an environmentalist with the Dharmapuri People Forum said, “Once, Sanathkumar river was very prosperous, spanning at a width of at least 80 feet. Now, due to the massive encroachments, the river has shrunk to a mere dozen feet. The encroachments have also disrupted the water flow to the water catchments in several lakes. This has severely impacted the river ecosystem.”
“A few years ago, the Municipality had marked the encroachments but had not taken any efforts to clear them. In areas like Annasagaram, over 30 homes were built just a few feet away from the canals. Also, if the river is flooded, damages will be vast as most of the encroachments are businesses, schools, and hospitals,” he said.
A farmer from Dharmapuri K Palani said, “Last year Dharmapuri received over 1,050 mm of rainfall, which is nearly 200 mm over the average rainfall. While most of the PWD lakes in the district have been filled, Annasagaram lake is still dry and this is due to the encroachments. This encroachment is not only in the Municipality limit but also in villages like Ungaranahalli, Emakuttiyur, Oddapatti and other areas.” Municipality officials stated that to protect the Sanathkumar river a special scheme was proposed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh and is waiting for the approval of the state government. Repeated attempts to contact PWD (RDO) officials went in vain.