M. Gautham MachaiahThere could perhaps be no murder more foul than the slow death inflicted by the citizens and the callous administration of Chennai on the once pristine Cooum river which cuts right through the heart of the city.
Considered one of the shortest rivers, the Cooum which takes its birth in a village of the same name in Thiruvallur district, traverses 65 km before draining into the Bay of Bengal at Chennai. Once, a source of drinking water, the river also was used by the tourism department for boating until the mid-eighties.
Today, the entire 18 km stretch of the river which flows through Chennai is reduced to a cesspool of filth and stench. The once green virgin river has now turned to a sewer line brimming with toxins.
While the insensitive attitude of citizens of Chennai who constantly pump tonnes of sewage and pollutants into the river is abominable, the lackadaisical attitude adopted by the powers-that-be is equally appalling. Thanks to them, the river which was the pride of Chennai is now an eye-sore.
Over the years, politicians have made the right noises about cleaning up the waterway, but as usual these have remained mere promises. And the Cooum continues to remain a cursed river.
Now, Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has taken a personal interest in initiating a Rs 100 crore World Bank assisted project to restore the Cooum to its original glory and develop it on the lines of the Thames in London. Preparatory work has begun in the right earnest and there is every indication that this ambitious plan will not be a castle in the air, as in the past.
And if indeed Stalin keeps up his promise, Chennai might soon be called the Venice of India. Let us hope that day is not far.
(Picture sourced from The Hindu)
2 comments:
Compact post and hope Stalin will do justice. With your increased southern sojourn, hope we can expect some more insights. Cheers
I was born and raised in Chennai for the first few years of my life. My memories of Cooum are the stink - even when in later years, when we kids would be thrilled on arriving in then-Madras for our summer holidays, the `cooum scent' would be the first giveaway. But my grandmother tells me of the glorious days when they would have a picnic by its banks! While the heart hopes that those days will be back, but the mind is sceptical:).
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