Bengaluru toxic flow polluting Thenpennai: CPCB
In a written reply to a question from DMK MP TR Baalu in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh admitted the downstream stretches of rivers like the Thenpennai are heavily contaminated.
The ministry's statement corroborated findings by Tamil Nadu authorities and national monitoring agencies that identified the river at Chokkarasanapalli Bridge in Karnataka – near Tamil Nadu border – as a Priority-I polluted river stretch, the most critical category under national classification.
Water quality data collected under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme revealed alarming figures: Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels at Chokkarasanapalli ranged between 17 and 52.4 mg/L, far exceeding the safe threshold of 3 mg/L.
Even more concerning was the total coliform levels – an indicator of fecal contamination – peaking between 16 lakh and 350 lakh MPN/100 ML, alongside dangerously low dissolved oxygen levels.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that in some cases, dissolved oxygen is below detectable limits.
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New Indian Express
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The Print
an hour ago
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
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