Save water bodies at the earliest, activists urge TN govt

TIRUCHY: In a bid to preserve water resources in the State, the Tamil Nadu Rivers Retrieval Movement (TNRRM), in association with the National Water Committee, has commenced an awareness rally to stress the revival of water bodies to save at least 200 TMC water annually.

Speaking to reporters in Tiruchy, D Gurusamy, the president of TNRRM, said that there are as many as 38,000 water bodies in as many as 12,450 villages, and the government should maintain these water bodies and ensure storage of water to full capacity.

“If these water bodies are filled to the fullest, at least 200 TMC water can be stored every year, and this would aid irrigation and enhance the groundwater table,” Gurusamy said.

He said that the movement has been campaigning for an integrated river water management through the gravitational force that would result in the free flow of water and facilitate recharge of the groundwater table in an organic way.

Meanwhile, he charged that the rivers in Tamil Nadu were polluted due to the discharge of effluents, and the officials are apathetic about it. He pointed out that the effluent discharges mix in as many as 127 places in the Cauvery, while in 57 points in Thenpennai and 17 points in Vaigai. “We have submitted detailed reports to the authorities concerned, but no action has been initiated to date,” said Gurusamy.

Despite a copious amount of rainfall occurring in the past 10 years, poor management has failed to preserve water, with many branch rivers having gone extinct, he pointed out. “To revive these lost rivers, we have planned to organise a campaign across the State, and a conference would be held in Tiruchy on September 29, and the resolution passed in the conference would be submitted to every district collector,” Gurusamy said. The Waterman of India, Dr Rajendra Singh, will be the chief guest, he added.