KOCHI: Amidst growing concerns over pollution in Muvattupuzha river, district Suchitwa Mission has convened a meeting of various local bodies at Muvattupuzha RDO office on February 23 at 11 am.
Siju Thomas, district coordinator, Suchitwa Mission, Ernakulam said the meeting will discuss ways to tackle waste dumping and coming up with a permanent system in place. Officials of Piravom and Muvatttupuzha municipalities and the three panchayats- Maneed, Ramamangalam, Maradi have been asked to attend the meeting. It will be chaired by RDO.
The meeting was convened after Piravom Municipality sought the intervention of District Collector to clean the river. “District administration is committed to protect the water bodies. We will take all the necessary steps to save the river. An action plan will be mooted soon,” said Mohammed Y Safirulla, District Collector.
Dumping of wastes including plastic bottles, beer bottles, used diapers and sacks full of slaughterhouse remains has polluted the river especially, the Piravom stretch. The fact that the Piravom stretch of the river is the source for four major drinking water projects - Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission project, JICA aided drinking water project, Kakkad and Veliyannur drinking water projects highlights the gravity of the issue. These projects cater to over 10 lakh people in central Kerala.