NGT Directs Karnataka to Halt Industrial Effluent Flow into Dakshina Pinakini River

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, July 20, 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Karnataka government to immediately stop the discharge of industrial effluents into the Dakshina Pinakini river—known as ’Pennaiyar’ and ’Thenpennai’ in Tamil Nadu—and the Kelavarapalli dam, which irrigates over 9,000 acres of agricultural land.

The directive was issued by the NGT’s Southern Zone bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, while hearing a suo motu case taken up based on media reports highlighting the presence of toxic foam in the Kelavarapalli dam near Hosur.

Karnataka had sought time until December 2025 to curb the pollution by constructing 10 new sewage treatment plants (STPs). However, the tribunal rejected the plea, citing continued pollution and inadequate remedial measures.

In its report, the Karnataka government stated that of the 531 industries in the river’s catchment area, 272 were compliant with environmental norms, 58 were discharging sewage into the underground drainage, 27 were non-operational, and 11 were non-compliant.

A site inspection by a joint committee revealed that highly polluted water continued to flow from Karnataka into Tamil Nadu. The committee also noted the sluggish pace of efforts to clean up severely polluted water bodies in and around Bengaluru.

The Tamil Nadu government, in its submission, pointed out that the river flows through several minor irrigation tanks in Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, and Bengaluru Urban districts, and was contaminated with both industrial effluents and untreated domestic sewage.

The report also highlighted the worsening condition of key Bengaluru lakes—sewage inflow into Bellandur and Agara lakes, algal bloom in Varthur lake, and severe pollution in Yele Mallappa Shetty lake—reflecting the extent of environmental degradation in the region.