Kerala - Kochi   

Contaminated Periyar flows upstream from Paathaalam Bund

K.P.M. Basheer

Residents fear river water might get into drinking water system

IN PERIL: The Peiryar, discoloured by pollution. - Photo: Mahesh Harilal

KOCHI: The discoloured waters of the Periyar flowed upstream from the Paathaalam Bund at Eloor on Wednesday, triggering a scare in the Eloor-Edayar region that the chemically-contaminated water might get into the drinking water system through the local pumping station and possibly even the water supply system in the entire Kochi region.

The Ernakulam district administration asked the Kerala Water Authority to be extremely vigilant against the possibility and to stop pumping from the Periyar if there were grounds to suspect contamination. Health officials were asked to be on guard too.

Local residents alleged that the clandestine dumping of industrial effluents in the river by some factories in the area on the Onam night caused the discolouration. Because of the tidal effect, the water flowed back from the Paathaalam Bund and got mixed with the river water in the upstream section from where the Water Authority collects water through its Elookkara pumping station for supply to people in the Alangad, Karumaloor and Kadungalloor panchayats.

"This is a very cruel act," said environmental activist Purushan Eloor, who has been fighting against dumping of hazardous industrial effluents in the river for a long time.

"The Government and the Pollution Control Board (PCB) should take stern action against whatever company has committed this mindless crime," he said.

Residents in the Paathaalam area noticed early this morning that the water had turned brownish grey and that it was flowing backwards from the Paathaalam Bund a couple of kilometres upstream. Since the bund, created to stonewall the tidal waters and also to prevent the effluents dumped in the river by the nearby factories getting mixed with the water body upstream, had collapsed, the contaminated water washed back upstream.

The residents said that the factories in the Eloor-Edayar area in the past used to dump effluents in the river during long holidays, such as Onam, Christmas and Id.

However, because of the increased vigilance of the local people and monitoring by Government agencies and environmental groups, such dumping had been rare in the recent past. They suspected that the offending factory had taken advantage of the relaxed vigilance during the Onam, and that the tidal waves carried the waste back upstream.

Zakir Hussein, general convener of the Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samiti, said that had the bund been intact, the contaminated water would not have flown back. He claimed that when the Local Area Environmental Committee (LAEC) was active, the offending factories were very cautious.

Water to be tested

The PCB's chief environmental engineer at the Kochi regional office, Mr. Abdurahiman, said that he had posted a team in the area for round-the-clock surveillance during the Onam vacation in view of the possibility of dumping.

The team had collected water samples from various spots as soon as water colouration was noticed. The samples would be analysed in the PCB lab as soon as the staff returned after Onam vacation, he said.

Purushan Eloor warned that if the contaminated water flowed back further upstream it would get into the water supply system of the entire Kochi region through the head works at Aluva.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Contaminated Periyar flows upstream from Paathaalam Bund
Discoloured Periyar triggers scare
Finding international space for local tales
CASP-Rajagiri association silver jubilee
Illumination contest results
Against all odds
Bomb scare: detainees being questioned
Onam vignettes
Youth goes missing in sea at Cherai
Around the City
In Kochi Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu