TIRUPATTUR: Farmers and residents of Ambur have alleged that tanneries in Vaniyambadi have again used heavy monsoon rain to discharge effluent illegally into the Palar River, causing thick white foam near the Marapattu causeway and disrupting farming in the area.
Residents of Marapattu allege that white froth piled up like a mountain in the river near their village is due to tanneries releasing untreated water directly into the Palar instead of to Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs). They allege that during heavy rains the effluent is released during nights to evade source detection.
Sethu Raman of Pallar Padhugapu Sangam, an organisation for Palar river protection, told TNIE that tannery pollution in the area began about 70 years ago, long before the Pollution Control Board (PCB) was established, and has continued since. “When I was young, we drank water from the Palar directly and played in it. Now it is unusable and life-threatening because of heavy chemical contamination,” he said.
He added that the PCB has collected water samples around 17 times, but residents have never been informed of the total dissolved solids or chromium levels. He also alleged that no industry has been held accountable and that residents are told that the foam comes from soapy bathing water and municipal sewage.
A 2025 study of Vaniyambadi titled, “Hydrochemical assessment of groundwater for drinking and irrigation suitability in Vaniyambadi region, Tamil Nadu” (A sustainable approach, 2025), reported by the India Water Portal, found chromium levels in groundwater five times the permissible limit, along with elevated cadmium, lead and nickel. Residents have urged the district administration to intervene urgently.
Denying allegations, a senior PCB official in the district said all the industries operating in the area are following regulations. He attributed the froth to municipal sewage and said that a new sewage treatment plant (STP) has been proposed and is under construction.
Meanwhile, District collector Nalla Sivan, was unavailable for a comment.
