After a great time spent in the Guindy National Park we got off to my next destination, the Cooum River, Chennai. The only thing I was getting irritated was my travel through hectic traffic. I reached the main hot spot of the river in less than an hour from the park. The taxi driver enthusiastically briefed me a little about the river which was earlier known as Triplicane River. He told us that the River is only 72 km and is one of the shortest rivers flowing to the Bay of Bengal. The River flows through the heart of Chennai and divides the city into northern and central province. It’s great to have a River flowing through the city however it’s sad to see it taking the brunt of over population.
We couldn’t resist and took photographs of the river and the adjoining surroundings. We were feeling pretty hungry and rushed towards a fresh “Vada” vendor; I must say it was just the perfect combination alongside the river banks. I noticed few people with their fishing equipments sitting quietly along the banks. I was really disappointed by seeing the river, it was filled with waste and smelling awfully due to the wastage deposits.
Few locals told us that there is hardly any fish resource available in the River due to extreme pollution which once had more than 49 species of fishes. That really broke my heart because anything which breaks the ecosystem upsets me. They added that the River had a major influence on the socio- economic life of the city for centuries. I tried to study the flow of the water. The River water was flowing at a minimal pace with extreme tranquility. I had heard about the ancient temples alongside the source of the river and decided to have a visit. The interesting part was that all the temples were of Lord Shiva located at Tiruvirkolam, Ilambaiyankottur and Thiruverkadu respectively. After visiting the temples we decided to call it off for a day and decided to rush back to our hotel with the anxiety of adventures waiting for us at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park the following day.
Few locals told us that there is hardly any fish resource available in the River due to extreme pollution which once had more than 49 species of fishes. That really broke my heart because anything which breaks the ecosystem upsets me. They added that the River had a major influence on the socio- economic life of the city for centuries. I tried to study the flow of the water. The River water was flowing at a minimal pace with extreme tranquility. I had heard about the ancient temples alongside the source of the river and decided to have a visit. The interesting part was that all the temples were of Lord Shiva located at Tiruvirkolam, Ilambaiyankottur and Thiruverkadu respectively. After visiting the temples we decided to call it off for a day and decided to rush back to our hotel with the anxiety of adventures waiting for us at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park the following day.