Kerala - Alappuzha   

Call to minimise pollution

By Our Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA, DEC. 16. Participants of a media seminar on the `Total Sanitation Campaign' in Alappuzha district organised by the Alappuzha district sanitation committee here today have called for enlarging the scope of the total sanitation campaign to minimise various types of pollutions.

The Alappuzha Collector, K. M. Ramanandan, who inaugurated the seminar said the total sanitation project had succeeded in creating a number of modern latrines in the district. He pointed out that the number of persons affected by epidemics such as Cholera, Weal's disease and Dengue fever had decreased in the in the district during the last few years because of the success of the sanitation programmes.

Modern toilets

During the discussions, the participants noted that even as the campaign succeeded in encouraging the construction of modern toilets to minimise pollution from human faeces, industrial pollution and various other types of pollution continued to pollute the water bodies in the district. This pollution was leading to the outbreak of epidemics, noted the participants.

Seafood units

Some of the participants noted that residents of Aroor panchayat in the district, where a large number of seafood processing factories exist, were facing a threat to their existence because of the large amount of wastes being produced by the factories.

The Vembanad lake which surrounds Kuttanad region in the district was being polluted by the human faeces and other solid wastes being discharged into it by houseboats, pointed out the participants. They also noted that pollution of the lake from the effluents discharged by a private brewery at Varanad was still continuing despite promises by the company to end it.

The participants pointed out that sanitation campaign should not end with elimination of pollution from human faeces. The campaign should also address problems arising from other types of pollution, the participants said.

Clean school campaign

The Alappuzha district education deputy director, Rajan, said a clean school campus campaign was being held as a part of the total sanitation project.

According to him the campaign had succeeded in keeping the schools in the district clean.

Representatives of the health department who participated in the discussion said there was point in individual cleanliness as long as water-borne diseases had not been eradicated.

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Call to minimise pollution

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