KOCHI: The High Court on Tuesday initiated a suo motu case over the increasing pollution level in the Periyar based on the report published by TNIE.A Division Bench comprising Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice T R Ravi observed that it was a very distressing issue. The media, including TNIE, reported about the horrific contamination of the river in spite of the lockdown.
The Bench said, “We are spurred to suo motu address this issue since the pollution of river Periyar can cause extremely deleterious consequences to our state – it being the one with the largest discharge potential, providing water to major towns and cities.”
Additional Advocate General Renjith Thampan submitted that there have been some reports regarding the widespread pollution of the river and the final decision can be taken only after proper scrutiny.The court issued a notice to the secretary, Environment Department, Thiruvananthapuram; the District Collector, Ernakulam; Kerala Water Authority, Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department; and Kerala State Pollution Control Board.