Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

Chicken waste in Pampa posing health hazards

Staff Reporter

Waste from Kozhencherry being dumped

DANGER ZONE: Waste from chicken stalls floating in the Pampa close by the Maramon Convention venue in Kozhencherry on Monday.

PATHANAMTHITTA: A large quantity of waste from chicken stalls in and around Kozhencherry was found floating in the Pampa close by the Maramon Convention venue on Monday.

The stinking waste, dumped into the river in the upstream of the Maramon sand-bed where a large number of people are congregating, is posing health hazards.

Many passers-by were seen covering their nostrils with towels or palm while treading the concrete road on the eastern bank of the river. The downs of the slaughtered broiler chicken flying in the air were another cause of concern.

The Thanungattil stream that empties into the Pampa a few metres upstream of the convention venue carries all sorts of filth into the river, making a mockery of the "precautionary steps" reportedly being taken by the local grama panchayat as well as the Public Health authorities during the annual Maramon meet. The river has almost been turned into a stagnant pool of filthy waters in the upstream of the convention venue, leaving it a breeding place for flies.

The removal of sediments in the drainages in view of the annual convention has facilitated smooth flow of liquid waste from the town, especially from the hotels and hospitals, directly into the river.

All sorts of waste generated in Kozhencherry town are being dumped into the river, just behind the Sreekrishna Temple in the town. More alarmingly, the liquid waste from the dilapidated public latrine complex situated right on the riverbank was found flowing into the river near the Kozhencherry bridge.

With the onset of summer, more people are depending on the river water for domestic use. Many wayside tea vendors in Kozhencherry collect water directly from the river for washing vessels and even for cooking.

Though the Kerala Water Authority has provided uninterrupted drinking water facility to the convention venue, the flow of filth into the river very near to the intake point of the drinking water scheme on the Kozhencherry side of the river causes concern among the public health activists and environmentalists in the locality.

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Chicken waste in Pampa posing health hazards

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