Kumily panchayat seeks Tamil Nadu action on Mullaperiyar human waste
Kerala's Kumily panchayat is urging Tamil Nadu to step up and stop human waste from polluting the Mullaperiyar dam.
The main issue? Not enough toilets at a Tamil Nadu bus stop near the border have led to open defecation, and rainwater is washing this straight into the dam, bad news for both the environment and people's health.
M. M. Varghese cites stream cleanup
Panchayat president M. M. Varghese wants Tamil Nadu to act fast and work with local authorities to fix things.
Meanwhile, when Tamil Nadu officials pointed fingers at Kerala for wastewater issues, Varghese replied that Kumily has cleaned up its streams and is planning a new sewage treatment plant.
Local leaders say they're already cracking down on illegal waste dumping, since the dam serves as a vital water source for southern Tamil Nadu districts.