The Noyyal, a major feeder of the Kaveri, is once again suffocating under hazardous waste. Farmers in Tamil Nadu are raising their voices now more than ever, demanding meaningful action to repair this lifeline turned health danger.
Old Glory and the Course of the River
The Noyyal has its source in the Vellingiri highlands of the Western Ghats on the boundary with Kerala. It runs through Coimbatore and Tirupur covering a distance of around 180 km before meeting the Kaveri near Noyyal village in Karur district.
This seasonal river once fed 32 tanks and irrigated large tracts of agricultural land spread over 3,500 square km. The ancient tank systems erected by the Chalukya Cholas could store the monsoon surplus water, maintaining a uniform ground water level for coconut trees and paddy fields.
People bathed in its clean waters and depended on it for everyday needs. But now? Whatever happened to that river of life?
How pollution got a foothold
Then the expansion was swift. The knitwear capital, Tirupur, surged in the 1990s. Dyeing units mushroomed releasing effluents filled with colors, heavy metals like lead, zinc, cadmium, high TDS levels.
Coimbatore contributes sewage from houses and industries. As it flows into Anaimedu near Singanallur lake, the river is a dark sludge with a horrible smell. Tests reveal TDS soaring beyond 2,100 mg/l, 30 times floodwater limits, unusable for crops or drinking.
Pollutants in brief:
Textile dyes are turning the water black and poisonous.
Heavy metals killing aquatic life&crabs
Organic waste that causes BOD to exceed permissible levels.
Nearby groundwater is also affected, with salinity harming crops such as coconuts.
Farmers on the Front Line
The Noyyal is more than a river for farmers living near the Orathupalayam and Athupalayam dams; it is life. But contaminated water means soils are destroyed, crops fail.
The flow is choked with plastics, hyacinths and untreated sewage, said KS Thirugnanasampandan of Noyyal Farmers’ Protection Association. “This is our livelihood,” he says, warning of groundwater contamination that will effect all.
Frustrated with delays they planned hunger strikes in Mangalam in July 2025. The Tamil Nadu Vivasayeegal Sangam has urged the Coimbatore Corporation to have talks on the Rs 200 crore rejuvenation plan, saying farmers’ inputs are vital as irrigation impacts them the most.
Even Vice President C P Radhakrishnan in January 2026 had appealed for restoration to help the farmers down to Thanjavur. Their requests? Sewage must stop, garbage cleared, and the river back to life now.
Previous Battles & Court Rulings
This is nothing new. The courts acted with force. Supreme Court orders shutdown of 700 units in Tirupur for Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD).
Tirupur’s ZLD largely saved the river after the 2010s but TDS remains at 3,000mg/l. Orathupalayam dam turns effluent pond
The litigation continued. Tamil Nadu’s 2018 anti-pollution scheme is poorly enforced, and dying units continue to leak after rains.
Government Actions & Programmes
Coimbatore Corporation plans Rs 200 crore for 18.5 km cleaning with four STPs along the riverbank Surveys identify contaminated areas; ‘Nadanthai Vaazhi Cauvery’ initiative aims to purify sewage.
Sceptical farmers on Tiruppur’s promise of ZLD compliance STPs to cut untreated inflow soon: Officials.
However, Rs 1,000 crore mega-projects conversations float without timeframes. NGOs such as Kovai Kulangal Paathukappu Amaipu have demanded that the TNPCB should first make the reports public.
Threats to the Health and Ecology
Frothy black water is not only unattractive, but lethal. Skin allergies, joint pain, respiratory problems afflict Kodumanal residents near Orathupalayam.
Crabs accumulate metals to a greater extent than in cleaner tributaries. Biodiversity collapses, fish die-offs reported. Alkalinity is higher than BIS drinking requirements.
Tiruppur: Sewage blamed for TDS rising from 1,610 mg/l at entry to 2,160 mg/l in city. Home RO units can’t handle it.
Cancer danger, irritation risk of drinking dirty sources. Farmers that work it for irrigation are exposed to it regularly. How long before whole towns are paying the price?
> Environment vs. Economy Conflict
Tirupur: Textile hub of lakhs, exports of billions. BUT pollution backlash has shut units previously, destroying jobs.
Partial compliance continues, but ZLD hurts factories. Farmers lose crops, riverfront real estate loses value.
Restoration can do both: water that’s clean helps crops, sustainable industry keeps jobs. The question is, will industry adapt fully?
What It Takes to Make Real Change
Call for experts:
ETP/STP compelled.
TNPCB periodic monitoring.
Hyacinth and Rubbish Clearance Campaigns.
Consultations with farmers on projects.
Community role important Bank planting by NGO Siruthuli Polluters could be held accountable by the public.
Voices on the Ground
“The problem is mixing industrial waste with city sewage and this is deadly,” says R Manikandan, Kovai Kulangal. V.R. Palanisamy demands joint plans “Have struggled for years”
Farmers ponder indefinite stirs if neglected. They say, “Save Noyyal before it is too late”.
A Hopeful Way Forward
The Noyyal dilemma is the flip side of expansion without care. Farmers’ requests indicate urgency: Pollution resurged despite ZLD, plans
Projects of Rs 200 crore, STPs and VP level support can revive the scenario. But success depends on enforcement, not just promises.
Think green farms again, kids playing safe around clear waters. Tamil Nadu can do it, if only the government listen to people who know the river best – its farmers. It is now or never, before the Kaveri tributary is lost forever.
Noyyal River Pollution Crisis: Farmers Urge Revival of Kaveri Tributary
