The Cauvery water dispute had ended or so we thought. New issues over the river have cropped up between the two states. The conversation has shifted from the amount of water to the quality of the water. But the template for debates stays pretty much the same.
The Central Pollution Control Board filed a report on Sunday in the Supreme Court. The report claimed that the water supplied by Karnataka is already polluted before it reached Tamil Nadu. This is with regard to the river’s two tributaries Thenpennaiyar and Arkavathi. The report is related to a case filed by Tamil Nadu in 2015 in the apex court. In 2015 the matter was that Karnataka was releasing untreated sewage and industrial pollutants into the river.
The reason why Cauvery is so important is that it is the lifeline for both the states in equal measure. The CPCB tested the water samples from the three rivers. The Karnataka and the Tamil Nadu pollution control boards also ran tests between September and December of 2017. The samples belonged to Arkavathi, Ajjibore and Thenpennaiyar for four months.
The CPCB report said, “River Thenpennaiyar is polluted and comprehensive plan of action is required for restoration of its water quality. The Arkavathi and Cauvery rivers were found to be polluted due to higher count of faecal coliform, attributed to open defecation and requires vigilance from the concerned organisations in the state to prevent further pollution.“
The samples of Ajjibore cleared the first three rounds of testing in September, October and November but failed in December. Samples of Arkavathi didn’t clear in September and October, samples from Thenpennaiyar didn’t meet the criteria in all the four rounds. Tamil Nadu is pulling Karnataka up on the issue and the matter is being taken to the apex court. It is no surprise that the water of the river is polluted, as is the case with most rivers in India today. The problem arises when one depends on that river for life, sustenance and survival.