Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Feb 3: The citizens residing in Kodavoor, Kalmadi, and nearby areas near here, are planning to sit in dharna by rotation in front of the municipal office here, in protest against the unbearable stench in the area, created by the effluents of the city which get emptied into Kalmadi rivulet. The dharna is proposed to be held against the ‘cleanest civic body’ in the state from February 10 onwards. The residents are determined to continue their protest till a solution is worked out.

The pollution of Kalmadi rivulet has rendered it impossible to use the water of the rivulet by locals. Besides spreading unbearable stink, the rivulet also poses threat of diseases to the region. In the recent past, the people say, the effluents have got stranded without flowing, and the thick, green water of the rivulet, which gathers at the vented dam build near Kalmadi, has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The effluents from the hotels, hospitals, houses and the drains of the town flow together into this rivulet. Although the municipality claims that the effluent is treated before discharging into the rivulet, the treatment unit is not functioning properly. The sinking liquid joins the rivulet near Goddess Bhagawati temple. This has made the lives of the people living near the rivulet hellish.

The people say they used to take bath in this rivulet a few years ago, but that at present, the water of the rivulet cannot even be used for their farms. It is said that even the well near Kodavoor Lord Shankaranarayana temple has become polluted because of this development. The residents say they had submitted petitions to the deputy commissioner, municipal commissioner and health department several times, but that nothing has done to address the problems.

Municipal commissioner, Gokuldas Nayak, says that this problem has arisen because of the blocks created for the free flow of effluents due to on-going highway widening work, and the breaking of a minor bridge. He hoped that the problem will be solved within a few days. While the six councillors from the area are blamed by the people for their inaction by the residents, the councillors say that they have been following up the issue with the officials concerned.