Schemes to restore Cooum, Adyar rivers up in the air

CHENNAI: The State government has yet to devise an action plan to enhance the water quality of the Cooum River, despite the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report labelling it as the most polluted river in the country.

The pollution control board had been given the responsibility of preparing action plans for the Cooum and Adyar rivers, states an official from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), on condition of anonymity.

“The action plans can be prepared only by collating action plans of other departments like Chennai Corporation, Metro Water (Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board), Water Resources Department and others. But most of the major stakeholder departments are yet to submit their plans,” the official confided.

The Chief Secretary of the State, Shiv Das Meena has called for a meeting next week to review the progress in action plan preparation, according to the sources. The action plans will be submitted to the CPCB for approval after completion.

According to a report released by the CPCB in 2022, Cooum had a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of 345 mg per litre and Adyar had a BOD of 40 mg per litre. The report also recommended measures to fix the water quality issue and the preparation of action plans. It added that the BOD of Avadi to Sathya Nagar stretch in the Cooum was 345 mg per litre, which is the highest among 603 rivers in the country.

Besides Cooum and Adyar, the pollution control board listed Amravati, Bhavani, Cauvery, Palar, Sarabanga, Tamiraparani, Tirumanimuthar and Vasishta as polluted river stretches in the State. Cauvery, Bhavani, Tamirabarani, Sarabanga, Vasistha and Thirumanimutharu were listed in a similar report released in 2018.

In a report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Shiv Das Meena stated that water quality in the Cauvery, Bhavani and Tamirabarani rivers has attained bathing water quality and they will be removed from the list of polluted river stretches. BOD level up to 3 mg per litre or less is a bathing standard.

The action plans for Sarabanga, Thirumanimutharu, Vasista, Cauvery, Bhavani and Thamiraparani rivers have been approved by the CPCB and the line departments have undertaken the implementation of action plans, he had said.

On the other hand, the state government allocated Rs 1,500 crore to restore and beautify the Adyar River through Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust under a public-private partnership. The government has also earmarked Rs 5 crore for the riverfront development of Vaigai, Cauvery, Thamirabarani and Noyyal rivers.