Farmers protest against pollution in water bodies in TN’s Erode

CHENNAI: Farmers in Tamil Nadu's Erode district are up in arms against the discharge of industrial effluents into the water bodies.

Farmers and activists have already raised complaints with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board against the discharge.

According to the farmers of Perundurai taluk, water bodies in Sullimedu, Odaikkatur, and Palatholuvu villages that are near the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) have different colours because of the discharge of effluents.

The activists said that the Palatholuvu pond comes under the Atthikadavu Avinashi drinking water and irrigation scheme and that the project will be completed soon. The farmers are worried that if the contaminated and polluted water reaches the pond, then the efforts of many years will go waste as the contaminated water will not be fit for drinking.

Muthukrishnan, an activist and farmer at Palatholuvu in Erode district while speaking to IANS said, "The water bodies in this area face the issue of industrial effluents being discharged and during the rainy season this increases. Several industries are discharging polluted water into the common sewage canals at night. We have filed several complaints to the TNPCB, but there is no action and we will be forced to conduct protest marches and blockade of roads if no solution is found at the earliest. And this can turn into a law and order issue if not properly sorted out."

A senior official with the TNPCB while speaking to IANS, however, said the SIPCOT industries have proper sewage treatment plants and that the department was checking whether any leakage was taking place from them.