Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

City rises to the challenge of cleaning its lifeline

Special Correspondent

Public donates Rs.55 lakhs; German Mayor signs on one-km banner, offers assistance

SPONTANEOUS RESPONSE: Public signs on the one-km banner that winds through Sungam Bypass Road along Valankulam in the city during Siruthuli's drive to clean the tank. - Photo: K. Ananthan

COIMBATORE: The hot sun did not deter N. Cibi Vishnu, a Standard VI student of Kendriya Vidyalaya here, from hunting for space to write a slogan on a one-km banner to stress conservation of Valankulam tank.

Awareness essential

Siruthuli's "Namadhu Valankulam" campaign to revive and conserve the city's most prominent tank drew the public in large numbers and from every section of the society.

Cibi's father (a teacher in the same school) T.M. Nataraj, said: "It is essential to create awareness. Many do not know why we should conserve water resourcesEven if 25 per cent awareness is created, it will help in conserving ponds and other water resources."

Mass support

The father and son were among thousands of people who throng the Sungam Bypass Road to sign on the banner that was strung on the median.

Siruthuli, a public initiative to revive water resources in Coimbatore, has embarked on this campaign to rid the tank of sewage, piggery, encroachments and garbage.

It has taken up with the Coimbatore Corporation the discharge of sewage, dumping of bio-medical waste and meat waste into the tank.

Siruthuli was formed to desilt the tanks in the city and the Valankulam was at the top of its list. The movement had contended that ground water level in a number of layouts would rise only if the tank was desilted and the encroachments removed.

A painting by a student showed a tank full of water and people enjoying a boat ride. Siruthuli office-bearers explained that it was the student's visualisation of a Valankulam without encroachments and pollution.

A sketch by another student showed industrial and hospital waste being let into a tank and people washing clothes and bathing cattle.

Suggestions to improve the tank included the construction of a war memorial on it. Many people even expressed in favour of beautifying the tank bund so that it turned into an asset from an eyesore.

And, there were thousands of signatures and slogans and paintings in support of the drive for a clean Valankulam. Industrialist and freedom fighter G.K. Sundaram launched the drive by signing first on the banner.

Foreign aid

And the most surprising signature on the banner was that of the Mayor of Stuttgart in Germany, Morowski. In the city as part of a trade delegation, he also promised assistance to Siruthuli's efforts at reviving and conserving water resources.

The Managing Trustee of Siruthuli, Ms. Vanitha Mohan, said donations from the public for the movement fetched Rs.55 lakhs during this day-long event. Such was the spontaneous support from the public that there was very little space left on the banner even before noon, she said.

"Till this morning, we were worried that most of the banner would go unused. But, the moment Mr. Sundaram signed on it, the crowd took over the rest of the banner," said an office-bearer of Siruthuli.

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