Coimbatore: Every summer, borewell operators would be busy sinking borewells across the city, except at residential localities in the 3km radius around Vellalore dump yard.
The reason- the groundwater in the vicinity of the dump yard is far from palatable. The contamination of groundwater in the localities which began years ago has aggravated as indicated by a sample analysis by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
The study has shown that the total dissolved solids (TDS) which should not exceed 500mg per litre for human consumption is six times more in this locality. So were levels of chloride and sulphate, which are harmful to the human body if taken in beyond the permissible levels.
"Even a mere contact with the contaminated water causes allergy. Everyone in our family has suffered skin rashes at one time or the other,'' says R Mohan, a resident of Sriram Nagar. TNPCB collected samples from Sriram Nagar for testing on Oct 4.
The yellowish appearance of water was first noted in Mahalingapuram, then spread across to Konavaikalpalayam and beyond.
S Prabalochana, a housewife of a family with nine members, stated that their water requirement is huge. "At least three to four times a week we buy tanker supply and have to spend more than 10,000 a month for this,'' she said.
Unlike Sriram Nagar, people in Konavaikalpalayam are daily wage workers, who could barely afford water tankers.
K Maarimuthu, a retired government employee residing here, said, "Three borewells were installed, and all of them are closed now due to the groundwater contamination. No other choice, we must use water from an open well, which too is far from clean," he said.
Rectifying this groundwater pollution is highly impossible, says KS Mohan, secretary of Kurichi Vellalore Pollution Prevention Action Committee, who obtained the TNPCB test results through RTI.
"The only way is to stop garbage dumping here at Vellalore. This issue was taken to the notice of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Pollution Control Board, and multiple letters and notices have been issued to the corporation against which no action has been implemented," he said.
Arivumani, managing director of Adithya Aqua Tech Solution, said reverse osmosis (RO) could offer relief.
"The contaminated water can be purified through the domestic RO system," he said. However, it was not possible to subject a large quantity of water to the RO process. So, using the water for other household purposes is ruled out, he said.
If the landfill was not exposed to rainfall, which is the major reason for the formation of leachate, contamination of groundwater could be stopped, he said.
Corporation Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabhakaran assured to address the issue by providing an alternative source of water supply.
"With the commencement of biomining phase 2, the entire legacy waste will be cleared. This is expected to start in the next three months and will go on for the next one and a half years. Meanwhile, a plan for establishing a waste energy plant with a capacity to process 800 tonnes of dry waste and a bio CNG plant with a capacity of 250 tonnes have been presented before the CM during a review meeting. These two plants will address dry and wet waste management and in future, waste will be restricted from reaching the Vellalore dumpyard," he said.