Kerala - Kochi   

Panel to monitor Periyar pollution

Staff Reporter

Supreme Court committee's directive to Pollution Control Board

KOCHI: To save the Periyar from indiscriminate human interference and exploitation, the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) on Hazardous Wastes has come up with a novel idea — evolve a permanent mechanism for monitoring the river 24-hours-a-day involving local citizens and communities.

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has been directed to suggest ways and means to form a monitoring committee. This system will be introduced immediately after the Local Area Environment Committee (LAEC) appointed by the SCMC completes its term. The PCB will also suggest steps for imposing collective fines or bank guarantees on the Eloor-Edayar industrial estate, if the industrial units violate recommendations made by the SCMC.

The SCMC has asked the PCB to ensure that additional monitoring stations are set up for regular monitoring of water quality throughout the year. The number of additional sampling points will be increased. The locations will be decided by the Cenral Pollution Control Board in consultation with the local population, especially the fisherfolk. All these sampling points will also be placed under the supervision of persons in the neighbourhood — fishing communities or panchayats downstream. This will ensure that the monitoring is regular and proper records are maintained, the SCMC said.

The SCMC has asked the Director of Industries and Commerce and General Manager of District Industries Centre to take immediate steps to ensure that roads leading to the river bank are blocked with cement poles so that no truck will discharge effluent or hazardous waste into the river, especially during the night. If night-time discharges of effluent into the river continue, the PCB should consider imposing a ban on night-time movement of effluent tankers. The Andhra Pradesh State Pollution Control Board had taken a similar step to prevent illegal discharge of effluents into the rivers. The industries in the Eloor-Edayar region have been asked to submit a time-bound programme for zero effluent disposal into the Periyar. The Edayar Small Scale Industries Association had met the SCMC members and informed them about its decision to introduce a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) for zero discharge.

The PCB will assist the Association in this process of constructing the CETP in a time-bound manner. The SCMC has asked the PCB to ensure that the consent for operation will not be renewed in future, unless the units display plans and arrangements for rainwater harvesting.

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