CURRENT NEWS - July 3, 2008

A Documentary film by SAM on the exploitation of a river

PALAR is the name of the most important river in North Tamil Nadu. Thanks to this river, Kanchipuram is a district of lakes and tanks. And thanks to these water bodies, Kanchipuram is a rice granary of Tamil Nadu. This river Palar is also the main source of drinking water to the southern suburbs of Chennai city.

Inspite of all these, this river has been neglected by the govt. and ravaged by anti social elements. Today, the river is beyond repair, unless some very drastic steps are initiated immediately.

SAM has its office on the banks of this river, But we have helplessly watched it being looted and polluted. We wanted to take some measures to save the river.

Research organizations like MIDS (Madras Institute of Development Studies) studied the causes of degradation of the river and suggested remedial measures. Some organizations went to the courts of law and some took to the streets, but nothing positive resulted. Some conscientious officials who dared to stop the illegal sand quarrying had to pay with their lives.

In this situation, we thought that we should do something to awaken the villagers who are living on the banks of the river and who are the immediate victims of the river's degradation. We decided to make a documentary film and screen it in all the villages along the river and bring people to act to save the river from further damages.

We asked Mr R R Srinivasan, a noted documentary film maker and one who made "The Untouchable Country" for us in 1994, to do the film on river Palar. He worked for over six months along with our SAM team and has produced a wonderful film that is sure to arouse the people on the banks of the river and all social activists.

The film was screened for the first time for the media on 30th June 2008 in Chennai and has received warm reviews. Here is what THE HINDU wrote:

THE HINDU. THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2008

In a journey along the river, documentary charts Palar's plight
Sruthi Krishnan

• It delves into how sand quarrying and discharge of effluents are affecting drinking water sources
• This state of the Palar stands testimony to unchecked release of effluents from tanneries.

CHENNAI: "En Peyar Palar", a documentary journeys along the Palar starting at its source in the Nandidurg hills in Karnataka till it joins the Bay of Bengal.
Charting this course, the 85 minute documentary delves into how activities such as sand quarrying and discharge of industrial effluents are sucking the life out of one of Tamil Nadu's prime sources of drinking water.
As the Palar enters the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, the screen fills with murky water coated with a layer of slime.

Crops disappeared

The state of the Palar at Vaniyambadi and Ambur stands testimony to the unchecked release of effluents from tanneries in these regions. In the last 30 years, crops such as betel leaf and coconut have almost disappeared, says AC Venkatesan of Vaniambadi. And then the scene shifts to bits and pieces of rotting skin, mixed with hair and other refuse. Zoom out, and the river bank is dotted with mounds of tannery waste. No surprise, health issues crop up.
Yaazan Adi, a resident of Ambur, says people there tend to have discoloured teeth. Water-related diseases such as jaundice and stones in the urinary tract are common.
The canvas changes with the river reaching Kancheepuram. An unending train of brightly painted lorries etched on a brown, sandy backdrop forms a picturesque sight, only if the ecological disaster they wreak dissolves into the background.
These lorries are carrying an irreplaceable resource: the sand of the Palar river bed. This sand has a secret. It traps water within. It can be dug out during lean seasons. But if the river bed starts to resemble a quarry, water scarcity becomes inevitable.
The new economy ushered in by sand quarrying has some unexpected dimensions. Children don't go to school anymore, says a resident of Sevilimedu, a village near Kancheepuram. They get paid for either lifting sand at the quarries or providing food to the workers.
Moving towards Chengalpattu, cement structures of distilleries and soft-drink giants come into focus. For washing bottles and preparing drinks, lakhs of gallons of water are sucked up everyday, the documentary reports. Frame after frame, director R R Srinivasan weaves testimonies from people with the river watching in the background.

Film has been produced by Social Action Movement.
Copies available at: Social Action Movement, SAM Centre, GST Road, Mamandur, Kanchipuram Dt., TN 603 111. Tel: 044- 2756 5215/09840116618. Cost of a CD:Rs 100.
Contact: <samcentre@eth.net>