Tamil Nadu: Will dumping of garbage in Vaigai be stopped?

Tamil Nadu: Citizens and social activists are urging the district administration to take appropriate steps to prevent the dumping of garbage into the Vaigai River in Madurai.

The Vaigai River, which flows through Madurai, originates in the Western Ghats and flows through five districts: Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram before merging with the sea. It provides drinking water to residents living along the Vaigai River in these five districts and irrigates approximately 235,000 hectares of agricultural land.

The Smart City and State Highways Departments of the Madurai Corporation have jointly constructed approach roads on both banks of the Vaigai River, from the Madurai Viraganur Ring Road to Vilangudi, a distance of approximately 8 km, at a cost of ₹384 crore and have opened them for public use. This prevents vehicles from districts like Coimbatore, Dindigul, Karur, Namakkal, and Erode from entering Madurai city, instead diverting to districts like Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli via these approach roads. This has significantly reduced traffic congestion within Madurai city.

At present, the Vaigai River is currently devoid of water. Due to various reasons, including sand mining, sewage contamination, and encroachment of Semai Karuvela trees, the Vaigai River has lost its natural beauty. Furthermore, the dumping of large amounts of garbage, construction waste, meat waste, and medical waste on both banks of the river poses a health hazard and the risk of spreading diseases. Burning of garbage has also become commonplace. Consequently, residents and drivers living along the riverbank are facing various problems, including suffocation.

Dogs and cats that search for meat waste dumped in the river are sometimes hit by vehicles and killed, and sometimes drivers are involved in accidents. Because the waste dumped in the river contains a lot of plastic material, the water flowing into the river prevents it from accumulating in the groundwater. Consequently, the groundwater level cannot rise, and people living along the banks are facing difficulties due to lack of drinking water.

Encroachment by Seemaikaruvel trees: The overpopulation of Seemaikaruvel trees and water lilies in the Vaigai River is causing significant groundwater depletion. Furthermore, the water lilies are blocking sunlight from reaching the river, affecting aquatic life.

Except on days when water is released from the dam, the Vaigai River carries only sewage. Farmers stated that when this sewage flows into agricultural land through sub-channels, it severely impacts cultivable land and reduces agriculture. It is noteworthy that despite several orders to remove Seemai Karuvela trees in Tamil Nadu, no complete action has been taken to remove them.