Citizens protest to save river

Political parties and the general public will hold a massive protest today, November 30, in Tirunelveli, against the setting up of PepsiCo’s new plant at Gangaikondan SIPCOT as it threatens to deplete the Thamirabarani river.

Packeer S, a student of a Chennai college and one of the protesters who recently filed a petition on Change.org, says that this plant would dry up the river, which is a source of irrigation for several farmers in Tirunelveli and its surrounding districts, who collectively hold agricultural land spread over 120 sq km. 

“The area has a Coca Cola plant, which is already drawing 10 lakh litres of water every day. The new plant, which has signed a lease for 99 years, will draw 15 lakh litres of water a day,” he says. “It is also the only source of drinking water for the district,” he adds.

The river had been reduced to a trickle over the past several decades, with repeated complaints to the authorities not yielding any solution, he says. 

“We are looking at bringing attention to this matter through this protest. Many students have semester exams at this time, but are joining the protest despite their busy schedules,” Packeer says. The protest will bring together people from different walks of life, all of them united by the cause of saving the river.