TIRUPPUR: Farmers in Vellakovil complain that unidentified people have been dumping cotton waste in irrigation canals, including the PAP main canal, which blocked the flow of water. On Wednesday night, more than one tonne of cotton waste was dumped in the PAP main canal, following which farmers urged PCB, WRD, and police departments to take action.
P Ashok, a farmer from Veppampalayam in Vellakoil, said,
“We depend on PAP Irrigation. The PAP main canal and branch canals are very important structures for our livelihood. Waste cotton has been frequently dumped in the canals for the past few months. Even on Wednesday night, more than a tonne of waste cotton in sacks was dumped along the PAP main canal in Veppampalayam.
We noticed this only on Thursday. But it is not known who brought it there and dumped it. We contacted the private company in Gujarat whose name was printed on the poly bags.”
“There are many spinning mills in Vellakovil area and people buy first-grade waste cotton from them. We suspect that after using it they dump the waste in irrigation canals instead of disposing it of in the proper manner. It accumulates in irrigation canals and spreads to the grazing lands. This affects the environment and livestock. Most of the time we clean the waste from the canals ourselves. Officials should take appropriate action in this matter,” the farmer added.
P Velusamy, President of PAP Vellakoil Branch Canal Water Conservation Movement, said, “Apart from waste cotton, people also dump meat waste in these canals. The WRD, Pollution Control Board, and Police should prevent this. But they do not care about our complaints.”
A senior officer of PCB of Tiruppur said, “An inspection will be conducted in the areas and action will be taken.” WRD officials in Kangeyam did not respond to TNIE’s calls for comment.