Context
Residents of Nelpettai in Madurai have expressed concern over the alleged use of a stretch of the Vaigai River as a garbage disposal site following the installation of multiple waste bins along its banks.
About Vaigai River
- Vaigai is an important east-flowing river of Tamil Nadu that originates in the Varusanadu Hills of the Western Ghats.
- It flows through Madurai before draining into the Palk Strait near Ramanathapuram.
- The river is about 256 km long and forms the Vattaparai Falls along its course.
- Major tributaries include the Suruli, Mullaiyaar, Varaha, and Manjal
- The Vaigai basin is supplemented by waters of the Periyar River, which are diverted from Kerala through an inter-basin transfer system across the Western Ghats.
- The Vaigai Dam, built across the river near Andipatti in Theni district, provides irrigation to the Madurai and Dindigul districts and supplies drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti.
