NEWS

People say the units are polluting Cauvery and Bhavani rivers

Residents of Suriyampalayam have appealed to the district administration to shut down all the polluting textile processing and tannery units in Erode town and its surroundings.

A number of textile processing and tannery units in the district were dumping huge amount of untreated, toxic effluents in the waterways, Cauvery and Bhavani rivers and vacant lands causing irreversible damage to the environment.

The growing levels of pollution in the waterways and groundwater pose serious health threat to the residents.

Suriyampalayam is one of the worst affected areas as it is home to a number of textile processing and tannery units, the residents claimed.

The effluents that were dumped in the waterways ultimately end up in the Cauvery River, which is the life line of lakhs of farmers in the State and a major drinking water source, they pointed out.

Residents wanted the district administration to form a committee comprising senior officials to inspect all the textile processing and tannery units.

Many units were established within one kilometre distance from the waterways, violating the norms.

The officials should take steps to permanently close these units, they demanded.

Welcoming the district administration's recent move to close a few units that were found violating the norms, residents stressed that the officials should not permit the managements of these units to reopen and take steps to shut down all the polluting units.

A group of residents from Suriyampalayam met the senior officials in the district on Monday and submitted a petition in this regard, explaining the problem.