KSPCB Chief Warns Cauvery, Kapila Rivers Face Severe Pollution
KSPCB chief sounds alarm on untreated sewage crisis.
Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Chairman and MLA PM Narendra Swamy warned on Monday that the Cauvery and Kapila rivers—vital lifelines for Mysuru and Bengaluru—are facing severe pollution due to unchecked discharge of untreated sewage, industrial effluents, and household wastewater. Speaking at the board’s golden jubilee event at Maharaja’s College Grounds in Mysuru, he revealed that a detailed technical report has been submitted to the district administration and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), demanding immediate action to halt further contamination.
Swamy stressed that multiple monitoring stations set up by KSPCB confirm the deteriorating water quality, with untreated sewage and underground drainage (UGD) water being dumped directly into the rivers despite existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). He held local authorities accountable but emphasized collective responsibility, urging citizens to segregate waste at source. Highlighting a lesser-known menace, he noted that nearly two lakh tiny plastic milk packet covers enter Mysuru’s soil daily, compounding environmental damage.
The KSPCB chief also pointed fingers at Kodagu’s coffee estates, where 682 plantations using wet processing methods release untreated wastewater into rivers, exacerbating pollution downstream. He called for stricter enforcement and public cooperation to restore Mysuru’s reputation as India’s cleanest city. “Forgetting our environment is forgetting our future,” he declared, stressing that clean air and water are non-negotiable for human survival.
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Swamy paid tribute to past national leaders for landmark environmental laws, including the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 under Indira Gandhi, and announced a state-level convention in Bengaluru on November 19—her birth anniversary—featuring opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. As rivers choke under mounting waste, the KSPCB’s urgent plea underscores a critical crossroads: act now or lose Karnataka’s iconic water bodies forever.
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