THOOTHUKUDI: Water conservationist Rajendra Singh on Tuesday said the Tamirabarani river is "struggling for life", as he inspected its condition across Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts on the directions of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
The court had appointed him commissioner in a case filed by Muthalangkurichi resident Kamarasu, who sought the cleaning and restoration of the river.
For two days, Singh examined pollution points, encroachments and sewage inlets along the river. At Melaathoor near Athur, he inspected sewage flowing directly into the river through the Vara Panchan and Po Panchan channels and collected water samples for testing.
Social activists present at the site urged that the riverbanks be strengthened, invasive growth be removed, trees be planted, and public access be improved. They also sought a complete stop to sewage entering the river.
The activists told Singh that devotees travelling to the Tiruchendur temple traditionally used the Tamirabarani for bathing and collecting holy water, but that the river had now "lost its sanctity and cannot be used".
Singh said reports would be filed for about 25 sites examined so far, with recommendations based on the local conditions. Pollution could be prevented through sewage treatment by municipalities, town panchayats and village panchayats, or by creating dedicated waste channels, he said.
"The identity of the Tamirabarani must continue uninterrupted from its origin at Papanasam till it meets the sea. Only then can we live with nature, culture and tradition," Singh said. "But in the name of development, pumping sets and check-dams have been created without linking them to ecological needs. As a result, the Tamirabarani has reached a state of degradation. Let us all unite and restore it."
He later inspected the Punnaikayal estuary by boat, collecting samples of black sand, white sand and water. Singh noted he had revived 23 rivers in drought-hit regions and said the Tamirabarani, though flowing through an ecologically rich stretch, “is now fighting for life and must be restored collectively”.