Kerala - Kochi   

Aquatic life in river facing threat

KOCHI: Aquatic life in the Kadambrayar seems to be in peril, thanks to the growing levels of solid waste dumping and wastewater discharge into one of the few freshwater sources in Erankulam district.

A source of water for nearby panchayats as well as a host of industries including Infopark and the Cochin Special Economic Zone at Kakanad, the Kadambrayar joins the Chitrapuzha near Brahmapuram. The two pollution monitoring stations located in this creek are Brahmapuram and Manakkakadavu.

A recent study by the State Pollution Control Board has found that the mean value of dissolved oxygen (DO) was low in comparison with the limits in the two stations of Brahmapuram and Manakkakadavu. The pH levels were also lower.

According to the ‘Water and Air Quality Directory 2009' published by the board, the mean value of DO in Brahmapuram was only 1.34 while the lowest limit prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board is 4. In Manakkakadavu, the mean value was 1.49.

Studies have found that low dissolved oxygen levels in the Kadambrayar could be the result of dumping solid waste from residential complexes located along the creek. Investigations found that increasing wastewater discharge from hotels in the area was another major reason for the deteriorating ecological condition of the water body. The leachate (black-coloured liquid) from the solid waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram was also slowly contaminating the Kadambrayar.

The board found that low dissolved oxygen levels had severely affected the fish population in the region. Studies conducted by the School of Environmental Studies at the Cochin University of Science and Technology had earlier found that several families of fish workers depended on the Kadambrayar for their livelihood a few years ago, but they have been forced to migrate to other places, as the river system became heavily polluted. Researchers had also found that the Kadambrayar was a major source of drinking water for hundreds of families in four villages located nearby.

Tests found that the mean pH level at the Brahmapuram station was 6.30 against the 6.5 to 8.5 limit prescribed by the CPCB. The pH level at Manakkakadavu was 6.24. Researchers said that low pH levels could trigger fish death by stressing animal systems and causing physical damage. They have also warned that the increasing number of apartments and housing complexes coming up along the river could exert more pressure on the ecosystem in the region.

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