KOCHI:Though the water has receded at Basheer Colony in Eloor, there is no end to the misery. Having lost all their valuables, the inmates of the colony now battle a new threat; of chemical pollution.
The chemicals expelled from the nearby container companies are causing health hazards to the people and the authorities are turning a blind eye towards the issue. Already reeling under pollution, the flood has aggravated the issue, with the water spreading the chemical effluents to the entire area.
The people here had been depending on well water for needs other than drinking. But, the chemical waste has polluted the water bodies in the area, leaving them in distressed.“We already face water shortage as the supply from Municipality is limited. So, to ensure that everybody gets water, we mostly depend on well for other purposes. But, the pollution has made that too impossible,” said Mariamma, an inmate of Basheer Colony.
She adds: “The water causes severe itching, rashes and boils. We are having sleepless nights. The situation was very different before the floods. What worries us more is this unhealthy atmosphere than the perished goods,” added Mariamma.
Source of pollution
People say the nearby private container companies are responsible for the pollution. “We have complained against the Chakiat Agencies, a nearby company. The floods have caused the chemicals dispensed from these containers to spread across the area and pollute everything we had,” claimed Vellathaayi.
Another inmate Geetha says the situation has left the children unwell. “Since we came back, children are having stomach ache and diarrhoea. We can ignore our pains, but how can we be blind towards our children,” Geetha said.
Meanwhile, Municipal councillor Raheema says despite complaining about the same, no action has ever been taken against the container companies. “Even after completing two phases of cleaning activities, the smell from the polluted water bodies is unbearable,” she added.
However, the company representative defended their stance and presented a different picture. “We are having empty containers here. How can an empty container pollute an entire waterbody? Apart from following the systematic procedures of cleaning, we are ensuring proper dispatching of waste materials to the recycling centres,” said Ajith, manager, Chakiat Agencies.
■ Besides the damaged household materials, Bosco Colony, Eloor bearing the brunt of unauthorised dumping by anonymous outsiders.
■ Bosco colony inmates are cleaning their households on their own. Although they received clothes and food items, all are complaining about the absence of the councilor.
PCB’s take on the issue
The Pollution Control Board says they are helpless post the flood. “Due to the excessive amount of waste dumping in flood-hit areas, authorities are helpless in curbing post-flood pollution. We are receiving numerous complaints from the public these days. We send instructors to inspect the regions and collect samples. Though we are trying our best, we are unable to attend every single case,” said M.A. Baiju, chief environmental engineer, Kerala State Pollution Control Board, Kochi.
Infested by snails
Already reeling under pollution, the area is also witnessing an uncontrollable onslaught of African snails. With the entire households inundated during the floods, families are having a hard time quelling the snails. “Snails are everywhere. It causes rashes and we are scared to touch them. We somehow managed to remove a few from inside our homes by sprinkling salts. But, they have infested en masse and the issue has grown out of proportion,” says Sharika, an inmate of nearby panchayat colony.