When a sacred dip in the Talakadu becomes a health hazard

Visitors taking a dip in Talakadu are complaining of getting rashes. No signboards have been erected by government bodies to warn people of the impending hazard. Lack of awareness among people is also causing pollution of the water body.

A dip in the Talakadu has always been considered sacred by the people of Karnataka. However, apparently, that idea is short-lived because people complain of skin infection these days. After two successive droughts and a receding water level, Cauvery is facing this new crisis. The dam close by has touched 'dead storage', which is also affecting the water body. 

Local eyewitnesses blame visitors for disposing off water bottles and plastics in the water body. "It is because of this pollution that people get rashes after a bath," said one. There were several other reports pertaining to insect bites and minor injuries from thrown scrap. The visitors mill the area only during the summer and the footfall gradually reduces during other seasons. 

The forest department seems to be turning a deaf ear to the complaints of the locals. Allegedly, they haven't put up sign boards to warn visitors against taking a bath in certain areas, which are considered highly polluted. In fact, the government bodies like the health department have also not responded to the situation. "They need to tell people not to throw waste material in the water body," said a villager. Meanwhile, the banks of the water body has become a booming business spot for quacks who sell ointments and allopathic medicine to apply on the rashes that the people get. 

(Image courtesy: Postcards from Talakadu)