KOCHI: Vembanad Lake continues to bear the brunt of illegal waste dumping. The other day, residents of Foreshore Road in Pallimukku woke up to the stench of burning chemicals. Their concerns were reinforced on coming across a large patch of discolouration in the lake water next to their locality.
“This continues to be the situation here,” Ajithkumar PC , general secretary, Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council (EDRAAC) told TNIE. According to him, residents first experienced a strong phenolic smell and on examination found a portion of the lake water — next to the Central Institute of Fisheries, Nautical and Engineering Training (CIFNET) building — stained.
“We suspect somebody to have dug through the canal on Foreshore Road and pumped the liquid waste directly into the lake. Since the area falls under the jurisdiction of Cochin Port and has barricades, the section of the lake here is out of sight,” he said.
According to a resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, it is a high-security area that very few try to access. “And this has become a boon for unscrupulous elements.”
Bemoaning the apathy of pollution control board officials, Ajithkumar said a complaint was lodged with Ernakulam PCB. “However, we received no information regarding the steps taken to identify the pollutant,” he added.
The issue was taken up with the district collector, locals said, adding, that things, however, seem to be moving slowly. According to S Gopakumar, architect and president of Better Kochi Response Group, the major issue is the lack of proper night patrolling by police.
“The dumping of chemical and septic waste into waterbodies happens at night. And the absence of proper night patrolling, especially after midnight, turns favourable for the illegal operators,” he added.
Ajithkumar said that when contacted, those dealing with environmental issues pointed out the serious threat that such illegal waste dumping poses to the public and aquatic life. EDRAAC demanded that the local self government officials and the PCB needs to immediately take steps to find the culprits behind the illegal waste dumping and take action against them.