Waste dumped on Athikulam kanmai in Madurai on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: R. ASHOK
Tamil Nadu All Water Bodies Protection Movement has appealed to the Tamil Nadu Government to safeguard the two major water bodies – Athikulam kanmai and Periyakulam kanmai – from the illegal encroachments and environmental degradation. They demanded to ensure the waterbodies are restored to their original capacity to prevent artificial flooding and secure the region’s water resources.J. Kanagaraj, coordinator of the movement, said, the two major waterbodies under the control of the Public Works Department (PWD) play a highly crucial role in rainwater harvesting, replenishing groundwater levels, controlling floods, and protecting the environment.However, at present, the waterbodies have faced severe illegal encroachments.“Sewage water from areas, including Mahalakshmi Nagar, Shanthi Colony, KVR Nagar, and MMS Colony are directly discharged into these tanks. As a result, the environment and groundwater resources have become severely polluted,” he added.Though the government has replied to his various petitions that the “Encroachments have already been removed, and alternate land has been allocated by the District Collector for the remaining encroachers, and action will be taken to remove the remaining encroachments.”Mr. Kanagaraj alleged that no encroachments have been removed.False information has been filed claiming that encroachments were removed when they were not. Moreover, the same official who stated in 2021 that encroachments were identified and notices were issued, replied in 2023 that they had requested a land survey.This clearly demonstrates severe contradictions in the official records.Additionally, he said, at present, that encroachments continue to expand in many places.The waterbodies face several other critical issues, including ongoing sewage contamination, a lack of clearly demarcated boundaries, and severely damaged bunds.Further, the surrounding areas have been deforested by antisocial elements and are increasingly being used as illegal garbage dumping grounds, he accused.To effectively address the crisis, the Tamil Nadu All Water Bodies Protection Movement demanded immediate, concrete action to restore the structural and legal integrity of the Athikulam and Periyakulam kanmais.“First and foremost, the government must clear all existing illegal encroachments and permanently demarcate the waterbodies’ original boundaries with stones based on official revenue records. To prevent further ecological decay, permanent measures must be implemented to halt the influx of raw sewage, alongside extensive desilting, deepening, and comprehensive kudimaramathu (community-led renovation) works,” the petition added.Also, the bunds must be secured against future land grabs by planting tree saplings, constructing a public walking path, and establishing a permanent surveillance mechanism to deter antisocial elements from dumping garbage or felling trees.“A high-level inquiry and financial audit must be launched into previous desilting and kudimaramathu projects to scrutinise contractor details, verify expenditures, and confirm whether the proposed work was genuinely completed,” it demanded.Immediate legal and disciplinary action must be taken against officials who willfully submitted fraudulent reports claiming encroachments had been cleared. Published - May 27, 2026 07:12 pm IST
