Public washing their vehicles on the banks of Tamirabharani river at Udayarpatti in Tirunelveli.
| Photo Credit: SHAIKMOHIDEEN A
Even as the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court is coming down heavily time and again on the authorities, especially on the Tirunelveli Corporation administration, for being mute spectator to the uncontrolled influx of sewage into the Tamirabharani, the official machinery also refuses to act tough against those giving water wash to their vehicles in the perennial river.As the Tirunelveli Corporation’s second and third phases of the underground drainage work is progressing at snail’s pace since 2018, thus allowing the flow of thousands of litres of domestic and industrial sewage into the Tamirabharani, the preventable practice of washing vehicles in this perennial river has reached alarming proportion. With the official machinery turning a blind eye towards this serious problem, those who wash the vehicles in the river continue to do so everyday.After a good number of lorries and tourist and omni buses are given complete wash in the river in the morning as they are parked on the banks of the Tamirabharani, particularly on the eastern side of the bridge on the North Bypass Road, the van and car drivers repeat this offence thereafter. Even though this crime is happening everyday in broad daylight and can be seen from the North Bypass Road bridge across the Tamirabharani, nobody dares to stop it. And, the violators continue to happily pollute the river that gives drinking water everyday to a few million population, including the polluters and the officials, who refuse to do their duty of conserving the river.A trader from Thatchanallur, who used to take bath in the Tamirabharani everyday, says this problem has increased in recent times after water level in the open wells and the deep borewells has depleted due to absence of showers.“The stone quarry dust, coal grains, cement dust, damaged bricks, grains and chemical fertilizers leaked from the damaged bags etc. are washed into the river. The worst thing that mixes up with the river is the oil from the vehicles being washed here. Most of the drivers and the cleaners use low cost washing powders to make the cleaning easier for them. As no one can question these people, they continue to clean the vehicles here that costs nothing for them while similar work in a service centre would cost them at least ₹500 a car,” he says.As per the accounts of the regular bathers of the Tamirahbarani, at least 15 four-wheelers and the heavy vehicles, excluding two-wheelers, are washed at this point everyday.“Most of the bathers coming to the Tamirabharani on bikes and scooters also wash their vehicles before taking bath in the river as it has become a routine for them. While cars, vans, buses and lorries are washed while being parked on the bank, the bikes are taken right inside the water for cleaning,” the trader says.A senior official of Tirunelveli Corporation assures to look into this problem immediately.Corporation Commissioner Monika Rana did not comment on this issue when asked through WhatsApp regarding the Corporation’s plans to end this practice. Published - August 07, 2026 06:51 pm IST
