Southern States - Kerala-Kochi   

Feasibility report on Periyar by March

By G.Krishnakumar

KOCHI DEC. 27. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board is likely to come out with a feasibility report on the proposed Periyar action plan by March as part of a National River Conservation Authority (NRCA) scheme to protect important rivers in the country.

Work on studying the feasibility of the project is expected to gather momentum from January onwards. The report will be prepared after holding extensive discussions with local bodies, non-governmental organisations and Governmental agencies.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) would issue necessary guidelines for the preparation of the action plan on Periyar. The feasibility report will be prepared focussing on measures for abatement of pollution in the Periyar.

Besides formulating projects to check pollution of the river, the report is likely to include schemes to check quality of water in the area. Other proposals would be formulated as per the decisions taken during the meetings to be held involving several organisations.

The board in association with local panchayats along the river would collect all possible data on various issues related to the river. Hotspots would be identified with the help of panchayat-level resource maps. The feasibility report would also include those points missed out during the finalisation of the Pampa river action plan, sources said.

Studies would be conducted to examine the extent of damage caused to natural resources using maps prepared by the Land Use board and local panchayats. Detailed studies would be conducted in select panchayats.

The board will be following the guidelines issued by the river authority and CPCB while formulating the Periyar action plan. A report prepared by a technical committee of the Government on the Pampa river action plan was found to be not in line with the guidelines set by the authority. The State Government would prepare a detailed project report based on the feasibility study conducted by the board.

The report is likely to include methods for collection, conveyance and disposal of sewage and sullage generated by local bodies situated along the banks of the Periyar. The report would also include proposals for treatment and disposal of solid waste generated in these areas. Riverbank protection would be given priority area while preparing the feasibility report.

The Periyar Action plan would also consider recommendations included in the "Carrying Capacity Study'' conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in the Greater Kochi Region (GKR). The study had found hotspots along the industrial belt in waterspreads in Varapuzha and Eloor regions.

The study, which was conducted in association with the pollution control board, suggested that some of the major effluent discharging industries should improve facilities to check pollution. The board has recommended that effluents should be treated and the quality of effluents should conform to the standards specified by the statutory authorities.

A proposal to introduce a river authority to protect the river is still hanging fire for want of support from the Government. The Periyar action plan prepared in 1997 under the initiative of then District Collector had recommended that a river authority with necessary powers would help in checking pollution. The report to be prepared in March is not likely to recommend such measures, as the detailed project report would be prepared by the Government later.

Afforestation, survey of the river basin, embankment and sewage treatment plants would be some of the proposals, which would be included in the report. Eco-tourism and inland navigation, prevention of salinity incursion and watershed management would also be included in the report.

The allocation of funds for each of the project would be fixed as per the recommendations of the technical committee appointed by the Government, sources said.

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