The High Court has ordered notice to the government in response to a PIL seeking direction for providing underground sewage lines and sewage treatment plants in Channapatna town.
The petition is filed by M K Chandrashekar and others.
The petitioners contended that the authorities have failed to clear encroachments of the storm water drains and to prevent the silk reeling and twisting industries from releasing effluents into the open drains.
The petitioners said despite several representations, no steps have been taken to prevent the sewage from flowing through open drains.
The untreated sewage is let out into water tanks around the town, including Kanva river, they said.
The petitioners contended that open sewers have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. They said that the municipal council had failed to perform its duties as prescribed under the Karnataka Municipalities Act.
The petitioners said if immediate steps are not taken, the day is not far when the Kanva river will meet the fate of Vrishabhavati river in Bengaluru.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka also ordered notice to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Lake Conservation and Development Authority.