‘DPR to prevent pollution of Noyyal ready’

CHENNAI : A Detailed Project Report (DPR) to prevent pollution of Noyyal River in Tirupur city is ready,  Public Works Department sources said.They told Express the DPR was prepared after Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami announced a `150-crore project which will have construction walls along the banks of the river within the corporation limits, setting up of baby canals, desilting and other works. Noyyal originates from Western Ghats and merges with river Cauvery at Noyyal via Coimbatore and Tirupur districts. Totally, the river flows for 172km.

The project is likely to have baby canals’ to carry drainage water from homes and factories. Apart from that there is also a proposal to set up effluent treatment centres, construction of parks along the river banks and upgrading anaicut areas, sources said.

It is learnt that the project will be finalised after it gets vetted by a seasoned consultant. The enormous growth of garment industry and operation of bleaching and dyeing units in the last 60 years has polluted the river. In 1941, there were only two such units; by 1997 there were 866, consuming about 90 million litres a day of water and releasing about 87 million litres a day of effluents into Noyyal river.It is learnt that in 2011, the High Court ordered the closure of nearly 700 dyeing units in that area,  but no details are available on how many have been shut.