Plastic waste, liquor bottles clog Ketti stream

UDHAGAMANDALAM The Ketti stream, which flows through the Ketti valley, is getting choked with plasti

The Ketti stream, which flows through the Ketti valley, is getting choked with plastic waste and glass bottles being thrown into it, reportedly by tipplers.

The stream, which flows into the Kattery Dam, from where it flows through the Kattery falls and eventually drains into Bhavani River ownstream is facing a number of threats. Apart from the copious amount of agricultural runoff that makes its way into the stream, plastic and glass bottles are also thrown into it from the villages and human settlements that are located along its course into the Kattery Dam.

R. Hariharan of Ketti Palada said a government-run liquor shop was located a few hundred meters from the stream. “People buy liquor from the shop and make their way to the stream nearby, where they consume the liquor and throw the empty bottles,” alleged Mr. Hariharan. During the monsoon, the stream usually floods adjoining agricultural areas, bringing with it liquor and plastic bottles into people’s farms, he added.

Another resident said the district administration should either move the Tasmac outlet away from the village or impose strict fines on people dumping waste into the stream.

“There are multiple points along the course of the Ketti stream that are known to be blind-spots, where lack of proper illumination allows people to dump their waste directly into it,” added the resident.

The consequences of the build-up of plastic waste in the stream are felt in the Kattery Dam. Not only does the dam get clogged with plastic waste, but many parts of the stream get clogged with plastic and leads to residents’ farms getting flooded during the monsoon season, say local residents. There are also concerns that wildlife, including gaur that stray very close to Ketti Palada, are consuming the plastic waste from the polluted stream.