Erode (East) bypoll 2025 | Erode grapples with severe environmental pollution as untreated effluents contaminate vital water sources

Sewage mixed with effluents entering River Cauvery in Erode in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN

Sewage from households and untreated effluents from textile processing units discharged into the Cauvery River and Kalingarayan Canal remain a persistent issue.

Erode, known as the ‘Turmeric City’, has now earned the grim nickname of ‘Cancer City’ due to a high incidence of cancer cases, likely linked to environmental pollution. This degradation not only affects the city’s groundwater but also impacts other districts reliant on the river for drinking water and agriculture, further exacerbating the crisis in the State.

Of the 60 wards in the Corporation, 33 fall under the Erode (East) Assembly constituency, which has 2,27,546 voters. Key areas include Erode Old City areas, Agraharam, Vairapalayam, Veerappanchatiram, Karungalpalayam, Periyar Nagar, Sampath Nagar and Perundurai Road. The economy is driven by textile markets, processing units, powerlooms and turmeric processing, with the bus stand, railway station and most commercial establishments located within the constituency.

However, over 500 bleaching, dyeing and tannery units, located in the constituency continue to discharge effluents into Pichaikaranpallam and Sunnambu channels that enters the river. Additionally, sewage from households flows directly into these channels, including the Perumpallam channel, round-the-clock. The river stretch passing through the city was identified as one of the polluted river stretches in the country in 2023. Also effluents entering the Kalingarayan Canal also concern farmers. It is estimated that about 55 million litres of sewage flows into the river and canal daily.

In March 2024, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced plans for sewage treatment plants in the Corporation during his visit to Pollachi. However, little progress has been made, with residents fearing the project will take years to implement. “Groundwater is contaminated and harmful chemicals and sewage enter the river, affecting people in delta districts as well,” said a voter at Vairapalayam. The voter said the river and canal have become little more than a waste dump, with water unfit even for farming. “Pollution in Erode doesn’t just affect us here, it impacts the entire State,” the voter added.

Residents assert stringent laws, effective enforcement and continuous monitoring are the only ways to restore the river’s health.