Coimbatore : When five-year-old son of S. Ganesh from Thadagam fell sick, the concerned father took him to the Masonic Hospital in Coimbatore for treatment.
Even as sand mining thrives in Thadagam with no legal permission, people of the region suffer a slow death due to increasing pollution levels even as farming is in total decay.
RTI reports suggests no legal permissions have been obtained from Forest Department, HACA Committee, TNPCB or Revenue Department.
Coimbatore : When Ganesh's five-year old son who lives in Thadagam fell sick, Ganesh took him to the Masonic Hospital in Coimbatore for treatment, assuming that it was just an usual bout of cold and fever. But to his shock, the doctor who examined his son reprimanded Ganesh for not providing a healthy environment for his son who could not withstand too much pollution.
"He is my only son and I was broken when a lot of dust was taken out of his nostrils,” laments Ganesh. This is not just one case of a small child severely affected by pollution in his environment but residents in Thadagam Valley have many such stories to highlight the havoc caused by brick kiln chambers and sand mining on their health.
The valley that was once famous for its Yellow Corn is reportedly becoming a death chamber for its residents. They claim that in the five panchayats of 22 - Nanjundapuram, 23 Chinnathadagam, 24 Veerapandi, Somayampalayam and Pannimadai, the number of deaths has been on the rise.
“When I was younger, I have seen many people here live above the age of 90. It was common for us to witness old people still strong and moving around like children. But this is not the case today for life expectancy has drastically reduced int his region,” says a resident of Thadagam who prefers to be anonymous.
While the people of these five panchayats are battling hard against the pollution caused by the mining and brick kiln chambers, the reply to an RTI filed by Ganesh has taken everyone by surprise. The response was that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has not granted any permission whatsoever to the brick kiln chambers that have been operating in the valley for the last 20 years.
“We have sacrificed our health, our farming, our safety and jeopardised the health of our children at the altar of illegal mining that feeds the guts of wealthy chamber owners,” accuses an angry farmer who is one among the group that stood against the mighty brick kiln community.
Members of the people’s movement against sand mining and brick kilns in the region claim that of the 200 plus chambers in the area, none of them have proper permission from the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) to construct huge storage sheds close to the Western Ghats.
“Be it the Forest Department, HACA Committee, TNPCB or Revenue Department, none of them approve the activity being carried out in these chambers. They are violating umpteen number of laws and the authorities stand as mute spectators,” says Ganesh.
In a recent RTI reply, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has claimed that only 61 chambers have been offered proper electricity through 58 transformers in the panchayats of Chinnathadagam, Veerapandi, Nanjundapuram and Pannimadai.
“But, the chamber sheds are fitted with flashy bright lights that are on throughout the night and to our shock, the RTI reply states that none of the sheds were granted electricity connection by TANGEDCO. If none of the Government departments support these illegal acts, who is actually supporting and who is benefitting? All at the cost of natural resources and our health,” questions a member of the people’s movement.
The light dawned on the issue when a letter from the Forest Department that surfaced recently stated that the Coimbatore Forest Department had cautioned the District Administration twice this year, after the turmoil surrounding the capture of two wild elephants, Chinnathambi and Vinayagan from the Thadagam Valley.
Ajay Desai, a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group and consultant of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) who studied the area had written a report which was submitted to the Chennai High Court. In the report, Ajay Desai had mentioned that sand mining was a major reason for negative interactions between humans and elephants, which had resulted in death of humans and elephants, as well as property loss.
Using his report as a basis, the District Forest Officer D. Venkatesh in his letter to the District Collector had stated that the deep craters left by mining were posing a huge threat for elephants. He had also stated that many of the chambers were running without obtaining proper permit.
About six months ago, members of the Koushika River Rejuvenation Movement petitioned the District Collector claiming that many water bodies had been destroyed by sand mining leading to the drought-like conditions in the region.
“We are seeing how farming is being killed for mere money. The chamber owners are earning in crores and we are left as paupers. All, despite the region boasting a tradition of successful farming culture,” opines a farmer.
According to sources, in order to cover up their act, the chamber owners had decided to pour water on the roads to settle the dust which again disturbed those using the roads, especially farmers. “At a time when we are suffering from lack of water, from where do they get money to pour water on the road? An investigation must be initiated on this mass plundering of natural resources,” adds another farmer, who again does not wants to be named.
With issues piling up regarding the illegal Thadagam sand mining, the District Collector K. Rajamani has assured that it would be addressed carefully by the District Administration.