Environmentalists of Tunga Bhadra Abhiyan urge government of Karnataka to avoid pollution of rivers

Environmentalists participated in a 430-kilometre-long march to highlight their efforts to save river Tunga Bhadra who water is getting polluted by industrial and other waste. | Photo Credit: SRIDHAR KAVALI

Shivamogga

The environmentalists, who participated in a 430-kilometre-long march to save river Tunga Bhadra, have appealed to the government of Karnataka to take measures necessary to avoid industrial effluents and wastewater reaching the river, besides conserving the flora in the catchment area.

Under the banner of Nirmala Tunga Bhadra Abhiyan, environmentalists, representatives of organisations and schoolchildren marched from Sringeri in Chikkamagaluru district to Kishkinde in Gangavati taluk in Koppal district in two phases in November 2024 and December 2024-January 2025. The 22-day march covered seven districts, 13 taluks and 120 villages.

Along the route, the participants held meetings with local people to spread awareness on the importance of protecting rivers from pollution, and an expert team collected data about the condition of river water.

B.M. Kumaraswamy, retired professor, one of those who led the march, addressed a press conference in Shivamogga on June 3. He said that all along the route, the participants noticed wastewater being released directly to the river. In parts of Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, the river had been polluted by wastewater from plantations. However in between Harihar and Kishkinde, industrial waste polluted the river water. “The government should take steps to avoid pollution,” he said.

L.K. Sreepathi, a retired professor of an engineering college, stated that the organisers of the march collected samples of water and tested them in laboratories. The level of aluminium in the samples was as high as six times the permissible limit. The data collected by the pollution control board itself show how industrial effluents polluted the river water. “We want the government to conduct further tests and take measures to address these problems,” he said.

The organisers of the march have resolved to submit their study report and their recommendations to the government of Karnataka.

Published - June 03, 2025 03:45 pm IST