MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday sought a status report from the district authorities on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed to prevent discharge of sewage water into Thenur canal near Sholavandan in Madurai. A bench of justices D Krishnakumar and R Vijayakumar issued notice to the authorities concerned and directed them to file the report within two weeks.
The petitioner, B Muthulakshmi of Sholavandan, stated that there are six streets comprising nearly 150 families at the RMS colony in Sholavandan. The Sholavandan town panchayat authorities had constructed a drainage channel to collect sewage water from the RMS Colony. However, instead of utilising the said channel, authorities have been discharging sewage water directly into the Thenur canal, she alleged.
Since the water from the canal is discharged into the Thenur Kanmoi and is being used for irrigation purposes in and around Thenur, the polluted water has affected both the soil and groundwater in the region, leading to health risks, Muthulakshmi added, seeking the above direction.