Mandya Deputy Commissioner directs officials to stop sewage from entering Cauvery

The Deputy Commissioner of Mandya, Kumar, directed officials in the district to take appropriate measures to stop the flow of untreated sewage into the Cauvery river.

He chaired a meeting in Mandya on Monday (November 24) after the Upalokayukta filed a suo motu case upon observing that wastewater from the town has been flowing into the Cauvery near the Wellesley Bridge in Srirangapatna.

Dr. Kumar said that a committee has been constituted and accorded the responsibility of constructing a barrier across the the river near Wellesley Bridge point so that sewage does not enter it.

He noted that sewage from Srirangapatna town flows from Rampal Road in the northern part towards Chikkahole (water gate), runs alongside agricultural land, and then reaches Wellesley Bridge from Biddakote before eventually entering the Cauvery.

‘’A barrier near the water gate at Wellesley Bridge can help prevent this contaminated water from mixing with the river,’’ he added.

The Deputy Commissioner further said that another barrier will be built near the Biddakote Ganapati Temple and a wet well will be constructed at a suitable location while the sewage will be diverted.

‘’The contaminated water will be collected in the wet well and pumped through the existing wet well located above the Biddakote Ganapati Temple. It will then be diverted to the sewage treatment plant at Ganjam for scientific treatment,’’ he explained.

It was pointed out that a barrier has already been constructed near the water gate at Wellesley Bridge but owing to recurring floods and heavy outflow from the Krishna Raja Sagara dam resulting in the high volume of water in the river, construction of another barrier near the Biddakote Ganapati Temple has been delayed.

‘’With the flood levels now receding, the pending work will be completed and steps will be taken to ensure polluted water does not enter the river,’’ Dr. Kumar assured.

Chetan Yadav, tahsildar, Srirangapatana, Pratap, Executive Engineer, Urban Development Cell, engineers from the Public Works Department, and officials from the Mandya Zilla Panchayat were among those present.