Tamil Nadu - Erode   

Campaign to create awareness on pollution in water bodies

– Photo: M. Govarthan

Making a difference: Students participating in a signature campaign conducted at Erode bus stand to create awareness on pollution in water bodies on Tuesday.

ERODE: Students, about 25 of them, conducted a signature campaign at Erode bus stand to create awareness on pollution in water bodies.

The students, drawn mostly from government and municipality schools, went about gathering signatures from members of the public while talking to them about pollution to water bodies in the district and how it could be stopped.

Led by Cuckoo, an organisation run by nature enthusiast and activist K. Sivaraj, the students conducted the signature campaign as part of the three-day camp.

Mr. Sivaraj says it is important to involve students in such activities because it is necessary to bring impressionable minds face-to-face with reality.

“At such age where children possess better sensitivity than adults, it is important to expose them to such things, for when they grow to be adults it will impact their behaviour, attitude towards environment.”

He also says it is important to conduct such a programme in Erode because River Cauvery, Kalingarayan Canal and other major water bodies are polluted.

“It is reported that the highest number of cancer patients are from Erode,” Mr. Sivaraj says and adds that majority of the affected are labourers.

“The poor work for about Rs. 200 a day in tanneries, dyeing and bleaching units and other polluting industries but pick up diseases and ailments with treatments worth lakhs of Rupees.”

As part of the three-day camp, the students witnessed photo exhibitions. On Wednesday they will trek the Sathyamangalam forest with nature enthusiasts.

At the signature campaign at the bus stand Dr. V. Jeevanantham of Tamil Nadu Green Movement also participated.

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