Noyyal river pollution study findings

Myilsamy.A (2012) was undertaken the study to economic impact of water pollution on rural households – A case study of Noyyal river basin in Tamil nadu. He was finished the Ph. D at Bharathiar Univeristy Coimbatore. From his study following conclusion was he made.

         The present study on the assessment of economic losses in Noyyal river basin was undertaken with a view to know the extent of average economic loss per annum. It was very clear and evident from the study that the ample villages in Noyyal river basin have been directly affected by the partly treated or untreated industrial effluents. The magnitude of damage caused to the agricultural sector and livestock was very heavy. Likewise, the impact on drinking water was also severe and it was evident that the surface water and ground water were polluted, the fisheries activities and recreation facilities were also significantly affected. There were the incidents of migration of labours and residents in the area due to lack of agricultural activities and poor environmental conditions. In nutshell, it was observed that the sample villages in Noyyal river basin were directly affected by the effluent and the damages were heavy to different sectors.  

Suggestion

1.      The authorities concerned, regarding this issue, shall not permit any more new processing industries like bleaching and dyeing in Tiruppur area.

2.      Processing industries can be allowed to have their units only near seashore and after treatment by the proper method the effluents may be allowed to confluence in the sea.

3.      Instead of the present treatment methods of effluents, an alternate technology (R.)., Biological etc.,) may be considered in consultation with the Pollution Control Board.

4.      On the basis of the extent and magnitude of damage the villagers especially the farmers may be given compensation for their loss on the basis of Polluters Pay concept.

5.      In future a pollution vigilant committee may be formed to control and regulate the process of treatment. The committee may be formed with villages, farmers, industry owners and government official as members. The committee may be recognized by a suitable Act.

PWD - Water Resource Organization Study finding

Senthilnathan (2004), study the micro level environmental status report of river Noyyal Basin. Most of the industries are located on either side of the Noyyal river bank at Tiruppur. These industries especially dyeing and bleaching units are the water consuming one. Nearly 9,000M³T of effluent from these industries are released directly in to the river Noyyal with incomplete treatment. This ultimately affects the river surface water system severely. The characterization of the water quality of the surface water samples of the river Noyyal is found higher and well above the threshold limit. Though the surface water is clear it looks slightly gray colour due to the domestic effluent mixed with the industrial effluent. Thus the water samples were very turbid throughout these areas. The colloidal material associated with turbidity provides adsorption surface for various chemical wastes from the industrial treated effluent. The chemical composition is likely to be greatly affected by the nature and amount of effluent dumped into it as well as biotic and abiotic processes in the water body.

Works on sewage treatment plant at Ondipudur to begin soon

The much delayed sewage treatment plant proposed at Ondipudur near Coimbatore as part of the ongoing under ground drainage system overseen by the Coimbatore city municipal corporation will eventually be realised. The civic body is expected to complete the exercise of land acquisition from private land holders and has so far acquired about 13 acres of land. The documentation of about one acre of land is expected to be completed soon, out of the total 14.4 acre of land identified to set up the plant. The delay in documentation is due to some internal dispute among private land owners who have already given their consent in principal to hand over the property to the civic body.

This project is most needed one for the save Noyyal river, Because more than15 lakhs people discharge the waste water into the Noyyal river with out treated. Government must take action in time.

Polluted Noyyal river in Tamil Nadu is turning land and people barren

Land has turned barren though there's water aplenty. And it can't even quench their thirst. If this was the pathetic story so far of the villages along the Noyyal river, the worst has befallen downstream in the boomtown of Tirupur - infertility is staring the villagers in the face. Fishes floating along the river because of discharge of toxic industrial waste and attendant loss of agriculture. What rattles the villagers more is the increasing rate of infertility among men and women and its social consequences. Not surprisingly, there is a surge in the rural populace approaching fertility clinics which have mushroomed in Erode, Tirupur, Karur and Coimbatore districts. There are about 30 hospitals in Erode and Tirupur - the worst affected by water pollution because of effluent discharge from dyeing and bleaching units. "We are witnessing a significant rise in the number of men and women coming for infertility treatment from the areas next to the Noyyal. Environmental degradation is a major cause of this," Dr Nirmala Sadasivam, a specialist in IVF treatment, said.

"We were taken aback when 210 couples were found with fertility disorder at a medical camp as late as 2009 in Karur. All of them were from the villages downstream," the doctor added, claiming that the sperm count in the region had come down to 40 million from the earlier 120 million. Urging the government to make efforts to reclaim the land and the river, she disclosed "30 to 40 couples visit our hospital daily". Dr S. Dhanabagiyam, another popular IVF specialist in Tirupur, carried out a study of the region. Her research revealed that an alarming 80 per cent of impotence cases were a result of water pollution. "High water contamination," she said, "reduces sperm count, while in women it creates ovarian complications and hormonal changes, leading to loss of oestrogen as well as abortions." Her hospital was recently in the news for the birth of 26 babies on a single day to couples treated for infertility from all over India. A visit to these villages downstream Noyyal found many elders lamenting about the growing incidence of impotence.

"Our youth are shunned in the marriage market. Word about impotence in these areas has spread. There is growing apprehension about sterility coupled with worry over the loss of livelihood. Our women too face this problem as the frequency of conception has come down drastically," T. C. Duraisamy, 56, former panchayat president of Thammareddypalayam, a fertile village now desertified, bemoaned. The villagers initially believed the problem was confined to cattle. "As a boy, I saw our milch animals, especially cows, yielding a minimum of 10 calves. It is not the case nowadays and has had a cascading effect on the local economy. Most farmers have taken to making charcoal," he said.

Farmer-turned-shepherd Nachimuthu Gounder, 52, also complained: "First the land turned barren and then it (water pollution) caught up with the cattle. Now, we've become the victims." The malaise is not confined to a few areas but is prevalent in over 71 revenue villages with a population of nearly 2 lakh spread across the three districts of Tirupur, Karur and Erode, through which the Noyyal river passes. A detailed study by an academic had revealed in 2003 that water pollution had given rise to over 60 per cent of ailments such as skin diseases, respiratory problems and gastritis.

"Infertility accounts for 40 per cent of health disorders in the pollution-hit villages. We have been pressing the government to carry out a scientific study. We are tired of submitting petitions from the district collector to the CM. But nothing has happened," said V. Ramasamy, adviser to the Noyyal farmers' forum which took up the over-a-decade-long legal battle against the polluting industries. The irony, however, is that the residents of most villages are turning to Tirupur for employment. "It is a classic case of the victim turning to the perpetrator for succour," Ramasamy added.

Farming and allied activities were thriving in these villages, surrounded by coconut and mango groves, barely two decades ago. Even now they have electric pump-sets for their wells but nothing grows with the water. If at all anything is grown, it is maize and that too when the rain comes. After the Madras High Court directive in November 2010, effluent discharge from the dyeing and bleaching units, numbering over 700 in Tirupur, had almost come to an end. "But the level of water pollution has not come down and there is no effort to resolve the problem," Ramasamy said.

According to a recent study, 2,300-2,500 total dissoluble solids (TDS) still make up the water. If the number crosses 500, the water becomes unfit for drinking and above 1,500 TDS, it can't be used for farming, he pointed out. Despite pollution plaguing the region for over a decade, the government has not conducted any study on health disorders. The affected districts have no data on the spurt in certain diseases. "We will certainly look into the demand for a health survey. Proactive steps would be initiated and if any work has been carried out earlier, it will be given thrust," was all that Erode collector V.K. Shanmugham said.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/polluted-noyyal-river-tamil-nadu-turning-land-and-people-barren/1/209822.html

Cauvery Basin basic information

Cauvery River Basin is located in between the longitudes 75⁰ 30’ and 79⁰ 45’ and north latitudes 10⁰ 5’ and 13⁰ 30’.  The Cauvery River Basin covers an area of 87,900 km2 and flows in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery basin is bounded on the West by the Western Ghats, on the east and south by the Eastern Ghats and on the north by the ridges separating it from the Tungabhadra and Pennar basins.

Land Use & Land Cover

Land use classification of the Cauvery River basin is given in Table

Land use and Land cover of Cauvery Basin

S. No	Description	Area (ha)
1	Geographical area	48,73,000
2	Forest	6,57,000
3	Area not available for cultivation	6,81,000
4	Cultivable area	30,22,000
5	Uncultivated cultivable area	8,93,000
6	Net area sown	21,29,000
7	Area sown more than once	4,44,000
8	Total cropped area	25,73,000
9	Net area Irrigated	9,96,000
10	Gross area Irrigated	12,82,000

(Source: Irrigation Commission Report)

Drainage

The Cauvery rises at Talakaveri on the Brahmigiri range of hills (12⁰25'N, 74⁰34'E) in the Western Ghats in the Coorg district of Mysore State, at an elevation of 1,341 m. above mean sea level.

In Tamil Nadu, the Cauvery continues to flow eastwards and forms the boundary between the Salem and Coimbatore districts. At Hoganekal falls, the river takes a southerly course and enters the Mettur reservoir, which was constructed in 1934. The river emerges from the Eastern Ghats below the Mettur reservoir and continues southwards. The Bhavani river joins it on the right bank about 45 km. below the Mettur reservoir and, thereafter, the river takes a more easterly course to enter the plains of Tamil Nadu, where it is joined on the right by two more tributaries, the Noyyal and the Amaravathi, before entering the Trichy district. Here the river widens with a sandy bed and flows in an easterly direction, as the ‘Akhanda Cauvery’.  Immediately below Trichy, the river splits into two branches, the northern branch being called the Coleroon, and the southern branch retaining the name of the parent river. The well-known Upper Anicut was constructed in 1836 at this point to facilitate diversion of the low supplies of the river into the Cauvery, which was the feeder channel for the old delta. It is here that the Cauvery delta begins. Some 16 km. below, the two rivers join again to form the Srirangam Island. The Grand Anicut is situated at the junction point below the island and forms the head of the great irrigation system in the Thanjavur district. Below the Grand Anicut, the southern or Cauvery branch further splits into two, one being called the Cauvery and the other, the Vennar. These channels are utilised as the main canals for the supply of irrigation water to the fields in the delta. The water is regulated at their heads by regulators. The branches, in turn, divide and sub-divide into innumerable smaller branches, which form a network all over the delta, distributing the Cauvery waters in the vast irrigation system. Some branches ultimately find their way to the sea while others peter out in the wide expanse of fields. The branch, which retains the name of the Cauvery throughout its course, enters the Bay of Bengal, as an insignificant stream at Kaveripatnam, about 13 km north of Tranquebar.

The northern branch, or the Coleroon, is the main flood carrier. After its bifurcation at the upper Anicut, it continues to flow in a north- easterly direction to enter the Bay of Bengal near Porto Novo.

The total length of the river from the head to its outfall into the sea is 800 km, of which about 320 km. are in Karnataka, 416 km in Tamil Nadu and the remaining length of 64 km forms the common boundary between the States of Mysore and Tamil Nadu.

Tributaries of Cauvery basin

The river Cauvery is the largest in Tamil Nadu and its major tributaries in the state are Bhavani, Noyyal and Amaravathi.  The Bhavani River is an important tributary of river Cauvery in its mid-reach. The National Water Development Agency of Ministry of Water Resources classified the entire Cauvery river basins into five sub-basins, with the Bhavani basin being one of the sub-basins.  The Bhavani sub-basin constitutes 7.58% area of the Cauvery basin.

Bhavani Sub Basin

The Bhavani sub basin lies between north latitudes 10º 56’33” and 11º 46’ 14”, and east longitudes 76º 24’ 41” and 77º 41’ 11”.  The average length of the basin area is 138 km and the average width is 57 km.  The basin elevation varies above the MSL from 166m in plains to 2634m in hills.  The total drainage area of the basin is 6154 Sq. km. 

The river Bhavani originate from the forests in the hill ranges in the neighborhood of Silent Valley in Kerala, and flows in the southeastern direction up to Mukkaliyar.  During its course a number of smaller streams of various orders and rapids join to the river.  Further to Mukkaliyar, it takes a northeastern course until its confluence with the river Moyar, a tributary originating in the Nilgiris.

Noyyal Sub Basin

The river Noyyal originates in the hills of Western Ghats and flows through Coimbatore, Erode and Karur districts. It has a catchment covering 3,510 km² falling in seven taluks namely, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Avinasi, Palladam, Karur, Erode and Dharapuram.  Out of 3510 km2 of Noyyal basin, 1752 km² is under cultivation which accounts for 49.9%; the rest of 1580, km² comes under barren, uncultivated lands, rocky strata, permanent pastures and fallow lands accounting for 45%.

The river Noyyal lies between north latitudes 10°54’00” and 11°19’03” and east longitude 76°39’30” and 77°05’25”.  High terrain ranging upto 1200m marks the western periphery of the river catchment.  In the central and eastern parts and towards the confluence of the river with the river Cauvery the terrain is plain and altitude falls to around 200m. 

Amaravathi Sub Basin

Amaravathi river is one of the main tributaries of river Cauvery which flows nearly about 192 Km from its origin. The river Amaravathi originates from Munar hills of Western Ghats in the Kerala state and enter into Annamalai hills in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu flows through Coimbatore, Erode and Karur districts and confluences with river Cauvery near Karur. Amaravathi river basin is bounded in the north by Noyyal sub basin of Cauvery basin, in the South by Vaigai basin, the West is bounded by the Kerala state and Parambikulam Aliyar basin, and in the east by Cauvery basin.  This river basin covers Coimbatore, Erode and Karur Districts

Noyyal water quality to be monitored online

To make monitoring of effluent discharge by dyeing units in Tirupur and Erode districts more effective, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) will have an online water quality monitoring system this year in the Noyyal river and Kalingarayan canal.

In the policy note tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday, Environment Minister B.V. Ramanaa said the process of procurement of instruments for continuous online monitoring of water quality in Noyyal river and Kalingarayan canal will be completed by May 31. TNPCB officials say there will be three online TDS (Totally Dissolved Solids) meters to measure the TDS levels. There will be a meter upstream, well before the effluent discharges begin, one right in the middle of the polluted river and canal and one downstream.

At present, the TNPCB officials are using hand-held devices to measure the TDS levels and the samples are tested in laboratories and only one test sample is taken every month, say sources. The online monitoring system that will be connected to the TNPCB website to make the readings public will give a real-time reading revealing patterns of discharge, sources add.

The instrument is expected to cost Rs 3 to 4 lakh a piece. Initially, the plan was to have 10 TDS meters in both but as it has not been tried before anywhere in the country, the government has decided to start with three. The data available will be for every minute and it could be made into a compilation of an hour's readings or as per required specifications. However, there is still the safety of the instruments that has to be addressed, officials say. The use of technology has been arrived at after farmers started complaining that there were indiscriminate discharges of effluents despite the court mandate of zero liquid discharge from dyeing units. “Once the online system is in place, we will be able to ascertain and zero in whenever there is any deviation from the normal pattern,” said a TNPCB official.