Keere stream polluted with garbage, sewage

Keere stream, in Gonikoppa town, is stinking, owing to the garbage dumped into the stream, by the people and the civic workers of the Gram Panchayat.

The waste dumped into the stream has polluted the water completely.

The same water is joining the river, also polluting the river body. Owing to the accumulated sewage, the water level has gone up in the stream.

Two years ago, Gonikoppa town was submerged during rains as the river overflowed. The silt in the river had resulted in the mishap.

The local Gram Panchayat woke up and removed the silt to facilitate the flow of water. But, the people have again started to dump the waste into the river and into the stream.

Ten years ago, the Keere stream was totally on the outskirts of the town. There were paddy fields on another side of the stream.

But now, as the population of the town has increased, the fields have been converted into sites. This has resulted in the production of a huge quantity of waste.

P K Pravin, a resident of second block, said, “As there is no separate dumping yard, civic workers have also been dumping the waste into the stream. The polluted water in the stream joins Lakhmanateertha near Besaguru during the rainy season. The same water is used for drinking by people from Hunasuru, Kattemalalavadi and other villages on the river banks.”

Water from Lakhmanateertha then joins River Cauvery at K R Nagar and further joins Krishnarajasagar. The Gram Panchayat should wake up and initiate measures to stop the pollution of the Keere stream, he added.