Littered with garbage, a dry Cauvery turns an eyesore

Four days have gone by since a large number of devotees thronged Amma Mandapam on the banks of the Cauvery to celebrate ‘Aadi Perukku’. But the waste, including cloth and garlands left by the devotees after performing puja, are yet to be cleared.

If water had been flowing in the river, the garbage would have been swept away. But with the Cauvery dry, the waste lies on the river banks.

This year, the festival turned out to be a dampener with absolutely no water in the river, forcing the devotees to perform pujas on the dry river bed. As per the custom, the devotees left the garlands and other items in the dry river. Several newly married couples, who had thronged the banks of the river, also dropped their wedding garlands kept in plastic bags.

The river bed adjacent to Amma Mandapam is now strewn with puja items and decaying garlands.

Heaps of waste items can be seen littered in various spots, causing concern to civic activists and local residents.

“The Amma Mandapam bathing ghat is a holy place. Devotees, who visit Srirangam, invariably visit Amma Mandapam to take a holy dip. They feel unhappy seeing heaps of garbage in the river,” said R. Rajesh of Subramaniapuram in Srirangam.

Tiruchi Corporation had placed garbage bins at vantage points to collect waste, he pointed out.

But not many devotees had bothered to use them. Instead, most of them dropped several items in the river, he rued.

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/littered-with-garbage-a-dry-cauvery-turns-an-eyesore/article19441802.ece