Order of the Madras High Court regarding water pollution at Amaravati river, Tamil Nadu.

The petition filed in public interest suggests that the wanton permission accorded by the Tamil Nadu government to industries near the banks of Amaravati has resulted in industrial effluents being discharged into the flowing water rendering the same not only unfit for human consumption, but exposing nearby groundwater to also turn toxic.

The court noted that the state appears to be quite "clueless as to what measures ought to be adopted," and that at the end of the day the pollution level has to be reduced to the extent possible. It is the duty of the state to ensure that the dumping of effluents into any flowing waterbody, whether by any industry or by local inhabitants, is completely prohibited.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, April 20, 2021 directed the state of Tamil Nadu to constitute an expert body to suggest appropriate measures, on whether to curb the extent of effluents discharged by the industry or to relocate industries which are close to the banks of flowing waterbodies. A set of guidelines need to be formulated "with appropriate checks and balances before all flowing water in the state turns poisonous", the order said.