KOCHI: The melodious song about Kerala’s iconic river Periyar in the 1962 film ‘Bharya’ is well-known to the malayali and still holds a cult status. But unfortunately, the beauty of Kerala’s longest river and a major potable water source has become a thing of the past.
The recent stop memo notice issued to Merdec Rubber for discharging industrial waste into the river yet again brings to light the sorry plight of the river. Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) surveillance centre engineer P B Sreelakshmy said the company did not maintain pollution control standards as per the norms. “They do not have a proper effluent treatment plant. Two months before we issued a warning, the residents complained the company was discharging waste into the river in the night,” she said.
People living along the banks of the river from Pathalam to Eloor had informed the authorities concerned about a change in colour of the river water. Sreelakshmy said a surveillance team of the pollution control board collected samples and organised night patrolling along the stretch. “During the night patrolling, we found the company discharging effluents into the river. The company authorities are yet to give a response to the notice issued by the board. They will not be able to resume operations until they abide to pollution control norms,” she said.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2017, more than five industries functioning on the banks of Periyar were slapped with closure notices. But, it seems slapping notices on the industries alone won’t save Periyar from a slow poisonous death.
Muhammed Iqbal, member of Jana Jagratha Samithi, said whenever an issue crops up, the Pollution Control Board (PCB) enters the scene with a notice. “We had taken them around personally and brought to their notice huge violations being committed by various big companies. But they remain silent. They have the power to take action but sadly they never do,” he said.
Iqbal said the big industries located along the banks of Periyar are the ones which cause maximum damage to the river. “PCB only nets the smaller companies while turning a blind eye to the violations of the bigger ones. At present the water level in the river has gone down and when the shutter is opened pollutants discharged by the industries enter the drinking water source,” he alleged. He said the PCB and the Irrigation Department need to work together to find a solution to this crisis.
Shabeer O V, who is actively involved in saving the river, said the area which has been earmarked by the industries for their effluent treatment plants are not accessible to the public. “It is important to give public access to these areas. The government officers, police and civilians have the right to know whether these companies are discharging untreated effluents into the river,” he said.
According to him, there are around 250 companies located along the banks of the river. “Many of them had been slapped with closure notices but nearly all of them have resumed operations. Everything is a sham.
The board merely gives warnings to assuage the locals. Once the dust settles, the companies resume operations after making the authorities believe they have rectified the defects. But the problem never gets solved. The government too has turned a blind eye towards the issue. Nobody is taking an initiative to arrive at a permanent solution,” he said.
According to studies, the presence of coliform bacteria in the water has increased and the amount of dissolved oxygen has come down in Periyar. Reshma Sajeevan, who has been living in Eloor for the past 20 years, said the river deserves more attention and the situation needs a revival. “The condition of Periyar is deteriorating.
The authorities instead of making lame excuses need to be pro-active,” she said. Sreelakshmy said the closure notice issued to Merdec Rubber is the first one since she joined the office six months ago. She said she is not aware of the past instances. However, she said, the PCB surveillance team will function actively to stop companies from discharging effluents into the river. Various protest marches and campaigns had been conducted to save Periyar, but the river still flows as an example of man’s disregard for nature.