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TN village in dire need of potable water, coir industries to blame for contamination?

Balusamy is a resident of Kallipattipudur, located around 17 kilometres from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu. At first glance, the lush green village amidst towering coconut farms gives the impression that residents would have little to complain about. But they have a different story to tell, says 41-year-old Balusamy, whose village desperately needs safe drinking water.

Over the past few years, people living in Kallipattipudhur have haven’t had access to safe drinking water. They allege that the coir pith industries in and around Pollachi are to be blamed for this. Coir pith is a sponge-like block made of the residual waste from the coir industries and has agricultural and industrial uses. It is used in horticulture by adding nutrients, and using it as a base on which plants are grown.

According to the residents, the industries do not follow proper waste disposal, and dump the coconut husk and material waste. The harmful chemicals from these seep into water sources, and have contaminated their groundwater, residents say.

Desperate for a solution, they have approached the District Collector for relief.

High chemical content

Kallipattipudur residents had been seeing increasing incidence of skin and eye allergies, and lung and throat infections. Suspecting the water, they approached the Tamil Nadu Water supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) earlier this month, requesting the officials to take water samples from their village and test it for quality. 

Residents say that the when these water samples were tested, it confirmed their fears – it was contaminated. The tests showed excess levels of iron and ammonia along with increased value of total hardness of water. The report also mentioned that the samples taken for testing had bacterial contamination and hence was not fit for domestic use.

Residents further allege that the coir pith industries in the area may be functioning without requisite permissions from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).

 Undrinkable water

Balusamy says that he has not been drinking the water taken from his own village due to fear of skin rashes and other allergies. “Even our cattle is not drinking this water. We have had this issue for the last 2-2.5 years, after coir pith companies started increasing in this region,” he says. 

Rajendran, a resident of Kanakkamapatti village which is around a kilometre away from Kallipattipudur, says, “Our condition is such that if we get just a pot of clean drinking water, it will be a boon. We feel nauseous if we consume water from here, and have been demanding alternate arrangements from the government for about four years now.” 

Years pass, action pending

Though the residents have, in the past, approached the local government officials like the sub-collector, they allege that there has been no movement in their complaints. Hence, the residents have now approached the District Collector and the Tamil Nadu Minister for Animal Husbandry Udumalai Radhakrishnan, requesting them to provide piped drinking water supply to the village. 

“We have been taking this issue to Panchayat Officers for the past four years, but all our efforts go in vain. The condition is critical now – the odour from water is very bad, makes vomit rise to the throat, and causes itching,” the letter to District Collector says.

Adding that of the 28 water connections in the village only three are active, the residents have also demanded water supply connections for 25 houses on priority basis. 

Source: The News Minute