Residents of Marapattu village in Tamil Nadu woke up Thursday morning 17th July, 2025 to find the Palar River covered in thick froth and filled with a strong foul smell.
Locals allege that tannery effluents were illegally discharged into the river following heavy rains in nearby Vaniyambadi the previous night.
According to residents, over two hours of rainfall significantly increased the river’s water flow. They believe this was used as an opportunity by certain tanneries to release untreated waste directly into the river, bypassing the mandated common effluent treatment plant.
Farmers and villagers claim that such pollution spikes are not new. Similar incidents allegedly occur every monsoon season, when rising river levels make it easier to hide illegal waste discharge.
The impact has been severe. Groundwater in nearby areas is reportedly so contaminated that even cattle avoid drinking from it. Farmers say their soil quality is deteriorating, affecting crop yields and threatening their livelihoods.
Despite repeated complaints over the years, residents say meaningful action has not been taken against the polluting industries.
They are now urging the district administration and environmental officials to investigate the matter and enforce strict measures to stop further degradation of the river.
Source – The New Indian Express
Meanwhile Dialogue earth has done an extensive investigation on this matter and published a detailed report recently.
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