Polluted ‘oorani’ triggers panic among Tuticorin villagers

October 25, 2014 01:29 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 03:55 pm IST - TUTICORIN:

Villagers showing tank with water polluted bychemicals at South Silukkanpatti in Tuticorindistrict on Friday. Photo: N.Rajesh

Villagers showing tank with water polluted bychemicals at South Silukkanpatti in Tuticorindistrict on Friday. Photo: N.Rajesh

Instead of triggering jubilation among residents of South Silukkanpatti, the overflowing ‘Nallamuththamman oorani’ in the village has triggered panic as the water is polluted.

The ‘Nallamuththamman oorani,’ which once fulfilled the drinking water needs of South Silukkanpatti, went dry a few years ago, forcing the villagers to sink three deep bore wells around the waterbody. Water drawn from the tube wells quenched the thirst of the cattle.

But the water received by the ‘oorani’ after the recent rains has turned reddish brown and the villagers are afraid of using it for domestic consumption. “Since a factory near our village discharges highly toxic chemical waste into the stream that brings water to the ‘oorani,’ the water collected in the waterbody in the middle of our village is reddish brown and hence cannot be used for any purpose,” said Petchikannu, South Silukkanpatti panchayat ward member.

The villagers allege that no action had been initiated against the factory so far.

“I am insisting that industrial waste should not be discharged into the wild stream which brings water to our ‘oorani.’ The water collected from the ‘oorani’ has been sent for analysis and any further action can be taken only after getting the results,” said Shanthi Muthusamy, panchayat president, who works in the factory.

Village Administrative Officer Jancy visited the wild stream on Friday and submitted a report to revenue officials for further action. Officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board are also expected to visit the ‘oorani’ soon.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.