Videos posted on social media reveal frightening visuals: huge frothy waves running over the river surface, foam swirling and spreading all around.
Hosur: The South Penna River stretch close to Hosur in Tamil Nadu has become a toxic foam sea following the release of surplus water from the Kellavarapalli Dam. The discharge, initiated following heavy inflows from Karnataka after recent rains, has set off an extreme environmental and public health concern.
Social media videos reveal alarming images: huge frothy waves pouring over the river’s surface, foam swirling and spreading across nearby areas, and froth carried by the wind.
The authorities believe the cause is untreated industrial effluents from factories in neighboring Karnataka straddling the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. They are said to have used the heavy rains as a chance to dump all their pollutants into the water system, increasing the toxic buildup. This poisonous foam threatens the river’s ecosystem and its aquatic life and even poses health risks to the people.
The recent frothing event on the South Pereyra River is part of a troubling pattern,” said Professor Sacchida Nand Tripathi, Dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability. Prof Tripathi linked the event to “excessive organic loads” entering the river system due to untreated sewage and industrial waste.
“This foam depletes the dissolved oxygen in the water, resulting in the death of fish and the destruction of algae that are vital to the river’s health,” Prof Tripathi added. The foam also risks waterborne diseases for the communities around there that depend on groundwater sited in the river system.
