KOCHI: There seems to be no let up to the tension at Eloor where environmental activists waded into the water to protest against the opening of the shutters of Pathalam bund. The greens have also been protesting the discolouration of the water and drop in the chloride level in the drinking water.
The environmental activists held a meeting with District Collector Muhammed Y Safeerullah on Sunday to apprise him of the situation and seek favourable action. It was decided at the meeting that a committee would be formed to study the matter. The committee will submit its report in a month.
“The Collector said that he is aware of the problems raised by us. He gave us a patient hearing. However, considering that he has only been in office for a few months, he told us that he needs the advice of a committee to take appropriate decisions. The five-member committee will have one member each from Kerala Water Authority, Department of Irrigation, Department of Factories and Boilers, Centre for Water Resources Development and management and Chandramohan, a member of the ‘samara samithi’,” said Purushan Eloor, an environmental activist.
However, Purushan said that the greens are not satisfied with the decision. “We urged the Collector to come and visit the bund. He has said that the deputy collector (disaster management) will visit the bund in the evening on Sunday,” he said.
The activists said that they will not withdraw the strike until the deputy collector visits the place and a favourable decision has been reached upon.
Tension gripped Pathalam area last week after water in Periyar river turned black. The lower reaches of Periyar is often referred to as a cesspool of toxins. Lack of oxygen in water has led to an increase in fish deaths by more than 25 times in the last two years.
Sources said that when the water turns black, it means that the biological oxygen demand has gone up and this, in turn, leads to a drop in dissolved oxygen content in the water. Drop in dissolved oxygen will severely impact the ecology of the stream.