Expert committee sought to study and prevent contamination of Cauvery river

Dinesh Gooli Gowda, Congress MLC, has urged the State government to immediately constitute an expert committee to suggest necessary steps to prevent the contamination of the Cauvery from the discharge of industrial effluents and untreated sewage.

In a letter dated May 28, addressed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and Major Industries Minister M.B. Patil, Mr. Gowda has emphasised the need for preserving the quality of water in the river, which not only quenches the thirst of Bengaluru, but also Kodagu, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, and Ramanagara.

Mr. Gowda’s letter comes in the wake of concerns expressed by Mandya Deputy Commissioner Kumara over the discharge of untreated waste from Mysuru to the Cauvery at Chandagalu in Srirangapatna.

The Deputy Commissioner of Mandya has already written to the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru K.V. Rajendra and the Commissioner of Mysuru City Corporation N.N. Madhu against releasing untreated waste from Mysuru into the Cauvery.

Residents of Srirangapatna had complained to the authorities against the contamination of the river, as Srirangapatna Town Municipal Council authorities draw water from Chandagalu to supply drinking water to residents of Ganjam in Srirangapatna.

Congress MLC Dinesh Gooli Gowda | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH K

Mr. Gowda, in his letter, pointed out that the release of untreated effluents into water poses a threat to human life and also destroys vital aquatic ecosystems.

He contended that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its 2023 report listed the Cauvery among the most polluted waterbodies and recommended that a comprehensive study be carried out about its water quality. He said the CPCB had also pointed out that the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the Cauvery water was in excess of 1 mg per litre limit, posing a serious risk to human health.

Expressing concern over the discharge of effluents polluting the river, Mr. Gowda pointed out that several industries had come up downstream of the Cauvery, right from Kushalnagar in Kodagu, Hunsur, Periyapatna and K.R. Nagar in Mysuru district through Srirangapatna and Mandya. Other small urban areas like Nanjangud, T. Narsipur and Kollegal are also discharging large quantities of effluents and pollutants into the river without treating them, he said.

“There is an urgent need to preserve the quality of water by preventing the release of these effluents into the Cauvery, from various sources including from industries and urban establishments, by constituting an expert committee to review and undertake steps to alleviate the condition of the river,” he said. 

Emphasising the importance of having access to clean and potable water, Mr. Gowda said 1,440 million litres per day (MLD) of the Cauvery water is supplied to Bengaluru alone, which is spread across 741 square km and is home to an estimated 15 million people, besides the millions others in other parts of Old Mysore region.