File report on pollution of irrigation channels and waterbodies, govt told

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy offered the direction on a public interest litigation which alleged that a channel catering to farmers at Naraiyur village in Villupuram taluk is being polluted by the sewerage being let into it.

While passing orders directing the Villupuram District Collector to arrest the malaise immediately, the Chief Justice directed a copy of the order to be reached to the Chief Secretary for appropriate instructions to be issued to all district Collectors to ensure that rivers and streams and rivulets and other flowing water bodies are not subjected to this menace.

“Appropriate measures should be taken to set up sewage treatment plants wherever necessary and effluent treatment plants for business so that the quality of the water is not adversely affected by any sewage being dumped into water bodies,” the Chief Justice said while directing the Chief Secretary to file a comprehensive report with inputs from all district Collectorates on measures taken.

Earlier, while the counsel appearing for the State claimed that action is being taken regards the channel in Villupuram taluk, the Chief Justice took exception to the state of affairs prevailing in Tamil Nadu regards gross pollution of flowing water bodies resulting in the malady having now grown to beyond rivers into rivulets and streams that may even be seasonal.

“While there is need for sewage to be guided in a particular direction and ultimately to be treated, sewerage cannot be dumped directly into a flowing water body that pollutes the water or the solid waste therewith blocks the channel altogether,” the court said.