Water Crisis: Toxic foam is blocking the dam, farmers and local people are facing water crisis in Krishnagiri.

At the Kelavarapalli dam in Krishnagiri district, about 60 km from Bengaluru city, it is not just water that is rising. The dam’s spillways are foaming with toxic chemical foam, which is accumulating in its water channels, posing a health hazard to residents of the area. As soon as the dam doors open, the water turns these pollutants into a thick layer of foam which is released into the surrounding villages, covering the land with toxic foam that has caused an agricultural crisis.

Kelavarapalli Dam is located just 10 km from Hosur and for five long years, the sight of dense, dangerous foam accumulating and billowing from the dam’s reservoir has plagued local residents and farmers. The toxic foam is not only filling the air with unbearable smell but also making the water unfit for irrigation and drinking. Foam polluted by industrial effluents from Bengaluru factories has poisoned the water flowing into the Thenpennai river, throwing life out of gear for local people.

The Thenpennai River, originating in the Nandi Hills near Bengaluru in Karnataka, flows southwards crossing several districts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This important river has, in recent years, reportedly become a conduit for industrial waste from factories in and around Bengaluru, contributing significantly to the pollution problem.