Officials told to expedite steps to check sewage release into Nandini river

Mangaluru: District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday directed Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner Ravinchandra Naik, and the environmental officers of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to expedite steps taken to stop the discharge of untreated sewage into the Nandini river.

The minister also listened to the woes of the local residents during his visit to Chelairu in Haleyangadi near Dharmadarasu Sri Ullaya Daivasthana, Khandige.

The members of the Nandini Nadi Samrakshana Samiti and local elderly citizens complained that a nearby medical college and hospital had been discharging its untreated sewage directly into the river.

“The untreated sewage from MCC’s Sewage Treatment Plant in Madhya near Chelairu is also joining the river, making the situation horrible for the people residing in the vicinity. The water which has been polluted also reeks of a foul smell,” a resident said.

The 800-year-old fish catching ritual during the ‘Khandevu Ayana’, the annual fair of the Dharmadarasu Sri Ullaya Daivasthana, Khandige, held during the month of May, had almost come to a halt as the fish in the river were dying in thousands due to pollution. 

The people vented their ire against the officials for ‘their lack of will’ in implementing the remedial action. The residents recollected staging a protest condemning the river pollution and submitting memorandums to officials multiple times. But all of their pleas had fallen on deaf ears and the MCC failed to initiate action against the wrongdoers for all these years, the residents charged.

A memorandum was submitted to the minister during his visit. 

Mulki-Moodbidri MLA Umanath Kotian urged the minister to issue directions to initiate stern action against those who had been polluting the river. “In summer, the colour of the river water turns black, indicating high levels of pollution,” he said. 

The KSPCB officials said a notice was issued to the medical college. But there was no response from them. In response, the district in-charge minister directed the officials to take steps to stop the release of sewage into the river.

He directed the MCC Commissioner to study the possibilities of utilising advanced technology to prevent sewage from the MCC sewage treatment plant getting into the river.

Dinesh Gundu Rao said he would visit the STP soon. 

The residents suggested treating the water at the STP and diverting it to MRPL to cater to its demand for water during summer. 

Earlier, Dinesh Gundu Rao visited the Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple and offered special prayers.