CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Environment and Climate Change Minister Dr V K Rajiv has sparked widespread debate after claiming that household wastewater, rather than industrial discharge, is responsible for foam in rivers.The controversy began during his visit to Tirupur, where he remarked that domestic soaps and shampoos were the primary causes of river frothing. Following heavy online backlash, the minister issued a clarification at the Chennai Secretariat. Defending his credentials, Rajiv said the chief minister had appointed him because of his medical background and emphasised his efforts to modernise the department. He asserted that recent statewide water studies had confirmed that industrial effluents were not to blame. Instead, he explained that domestic greywater containing high levels of phosphorus from soaps and shampoos naturally creates foam when it mixes with river water.Strongly condemning the minister’s remarks, AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran slammed the government for deflecting responsibility onto ordinary citizens. In a post on X, Dhinakaran said attributing severe river pollution to everyday household soap use was absurd and reflected an alarming lack of accountability on the part of the Environment Department.Dhinakaran argued that shielding industrial offenders while ignoring systemic failures in waste management would only exacerbate environmental degradation. He demanded that the state government stop making bizarre excuses, strictly regulate industrial effluent discharge immediately, and implement robust sewage treatment infrastructure to protect Tamil Nadu’s vital river ecosystems.
