The Daily
BSERVER An IIJNM Publication
Monday, 3 April, 2017
Metal in Vrishabhavaty waters poisons farm yeilds Aishwarya Iyer aishwarya.i@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Farmers in and around Kumbalgodu, Bidadi and Gopahalli who depend on the Vrishabhavaty River for irrigation are facing losses and health issues due to large scale metal contamination in the river’s waters. A study done by the Ashoka Trust for Environment and Ecology (ATREE) has revealed that 50 percent of the Vrishabhavaty River water is contaminated with heavy metal effluents like chromium, nickel and lead, coming from the Peenya Industrial Area. “The water that we now use on our fields is very dirty. Our skin itches. My brother got some rashes last month on his hands and the doctors weren’t able to find the cause. We have to continue with this to feed ourselves,” Lakshman Anna, a Gopahalli based farmer said. Krishnakumar, a farmer from Bidadi has a similar story to tell. “My son helps me with field work and he suffers skin allergies. Despite knowing that the water will harm us and others, I cannot leave farming since it’s our only source of liveli-
The river flows through the villages in and around Kumbalgodu and Bidadi, polluted with plastic waste, untreated sewage waste, garbage and heavy metals like nickel and lead, filling the air with stench. Courtesy: Mitali Goyal hood,” he said. Krishnakumar add- light black layer. This fetches me between 12am and 4am during the ed that the contaminated water also an amount that is 20 percent lesser study period suggesting that illegal affects his paddy yields leading to than the market price,” he said. discharge was highest in the middle losses. “I know the water I use for The ATREE research also found of the night when industries were irrigating my field is dirty. Due to out that the release of domestic quietly disposing untreated waste. this water, the paddy I grow has a and industrial effluents was highest “I have a farmhouse in Bidadi
Cops list out Bengaluru’s serial traffic violators Mitali Goyal mitali.g@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Over 50,000 traffic violation cases are still pending in various traffic police stations across the city, and a recent document published by Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) has listed 500 traffic violators with high numbers of cases registered against them. Serial violators are being told to pay delinquent fines or face strict legal action. “We have taken this initiative in order to make people understand the value of rules. All the pending fines need to be paid or else we will make sure take legal action will be taken against them,” said Chowdappa RV, additional commissioner of police (Traffic), South East Division, Bangalore. Fines of over one lakh rupees are pending with the highest number
of cases recorded against a single vehicle standing at 153. The exact date to pay the fines has still not been disclosed by the BTP. A few of the listed violators have denied breaking the law and oppose paying the fines. Puttaswamy, 36, who has been charged with over 60 traffic violation cases said: “I don’t even remember violating the rules once. I think BTP has started to charge people for fake fines.” Indirathirth, 35, who has been accused by the BTP of breaking a traffic signal at Malleswaram said: “It’s been two years since I visited Malleswaram. I am not in the habit of breaking any traffic rules. I am surely not going to pay the fine.” “With every fine made,” said MN Sreehari, who has over 32 years of experience in the field of
traffic engineering, “a receipt is issued to the violator and the violator needs to show the receipt to the centre in order to dissolve the fine. So, I do not think that making fake fines is even possible.” V Bhagyaraj, 33, who has been charged with 37 violations, said he thinks the initiative to get violaters to pay up is good. “I am sure people are now going to understand the need for traffic rules. Also, strict action should be taken against people who do not pay fines on time.” Sreehari, however, doubts the initiative will yield positive results. “Putting up fines is not going to help decrease the number of cases registered against traffic violators. Stricter traffic rules, with interest being charged for late payment of fines, can be an alternate solution to the problem,” he said.
where I do farming. The researchers doing study on the Vrishabhavathy water are focusing only on urban areas and have left out the developing areas like Bidadi which are crippling the river. Mahindra has set up a plant there and they are now forcing us farmers to sell our lands for their commercial purposes. The ground water as well as surface water quality is deteriorated,” professor (retired) Jamadagni of the Indian Institute of Sciences said. “We are indirectly letting heavy metals like nickel, chromium, lead enter our food chain. The soil becomes toxic due to the polluted water. Crops grow on this toxic soil and we consume these crops,” he added. Veena Srinivasan, chief researcher at ATREE said that the mixing up of heavy metal waste with sewage water is making it impossible for the sewage treatment plant at the Peenya Industrial Estate to function at its full capacity. This is despite the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) mandating ‘red category’ industries to use effluent treatment plants and not discharge any water into external outlets.
No end to illegal construction and encroachment in Mysore district Ayushee Chaudhary ayushee.c@iijnm.org
The Karnataka High Court directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to re-inspect mining activities in Hirekati, Mysore district following a public interest litigation alleging illegal mine encroachment by private miners. The public interest litigation (PIL) filed in February last year by Jayaram M, a villager, alleges that private owners have encroached over 70 acres of land illegally for mining purposes in Hirekati. This in turn is raising serious environmental and health concerns for over 200 families who reside in the area. “Private individuals were given land on lease in Hirekati. They
were given around 24 acres but have expanded their mining activities to over 100 acres. There five such private individuals here,” Rakshith Jois, advocate for the petitioner, said. “Due to this illegal mining activity, residents complain of noise pollution, air pollution and occasional tremors. Besides this, there are three ancient temples which would be eventually damaged if such activities continue at this pace,” he added. Villagers in and around Hirekati also complain that the extended mining activities have severely affected their health. “Several villagers suffer from asthma due to the stone and dust particles in the air,” Jois said.
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