Contaminated chennai, saem rivers marked as ‘priority stretching’ by CPCB

The rivers in Chennai and Salem have been identified as “priority stretching” by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) based on water quality data, according to a response from Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of Environment State, Forestal and climate change, in response to a question raised by M. Thambidurai, MP Rajya Sabha, on February 6.

According to CPCB, Tamil Nadu has 10 severely contaminated river stretching and has been classified under the priority I to V. Of these, the Adjar and Cooum rivers in Chennai and Thirumanimuthar and Vasishta near Salem are Priority I.

The Cooum river stretch from Avadi to Sathya Nagar is the most contaminated, with a biochemical oxygen demand of 345 mg/l, which exceeds the permissible limit of 3 mg/l for the swimsuit waters. These rivers, which already face ecological degradation, are under a severe threat of non -treated industrial effluents, non -treated wastewater and waste of waste, making them not suitable for human use and aquatic life.

In response to these critical pollution points, the Tamil Nadu government has devised comprehensive action plans aimed at rejuvenating the affected river sections, Singh said in the response. These plans prioritize the improvement of the municipal wastewater management, the control of industrial effluents, the improvement of waste management practices and the protection of river collection areas. Several ecological initiatives have also been proposed, such as the establishment of biodiversity parks, the elimination of invasions along the banks of the river and the management of the flood plain area, he added, he added.

A joint inspection of the Ministry of Environment and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board revealed a generalized breach of wastewater treatment standards in several textile and tincture units throughout the state. After the inspections in 2022, the TNPCB issued 25 units not compiled by the TNPCB, and the regular controls now apply to guarantee the proper treatment of wastewater, according to the response.