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Sir,
Sub: Contaminating Chalakudy River Chalakudy River passes through my village of Meloor. A few decades ago the water in the river was clean and we could use it even for drinking purposes. But now it is so unclean that even if we take a bath in it, our bodies start itching. The water smells foul.
One of the reasons for the water to become so dirty is the ignorance of the people. They have the misconception that a owing river is never dirty. Since the dirt is immediately washed away, they imagine that there is no problem in throwing the garbage in it. But when thousands of people do that, the garbage gets collected at places and it begins to rot and thus it pollutes the water.
People wash their kitchen utensils, and dishes and soiled clothes in the river. This also makes the water dirty. The worst thing is that the people who do not have toilets in their homes excrete on the banks of the river and they wash themselves in the river. When it rains all the excreta is washed into the river. Imagine how dirty the water can get with human excreta. People have been doing it for long. But in the past the population was small and it was not so much noticed. But with the increased number of people living along the banks, the problem has become very acute.
The authorities must ensure that people don’t throw their garbage in the river. They also should make sure that there toilets in the homes of people and they don’t make the banks of the river their toilets. Culprits must be seriously punished as a deterrent to prospective offenders. Let’s keep the river clean, it is our life-line. Antony Mundakkal