Kerala PCB to crack the whip in Eloor

KOCHI: In the wake of the order issued by the National Green Tribunal  (NGT) on the pollution in the Eloor industrial belt, the Kerala Pollution Control Board (KPCB) has decided to intensify the monitoring drive in the area. According to K Sajeevan, chairman of KPCB, they will study the NGT order and assess the situation.  

The NGT order had instructed the authorities concerned to prepare an action plan to reduce the impact of industrial effluents in water bodies at Eloor and Edayar industrial area in Kochi."We are conducting regular inspections on the Eloor-Edayar stretch," he told Express. "The NGT order, which came last week, was based on the CPCB report submitted last year. We will study the observations made by NGT and take follow-up measures," he said.

He said the status report will be submitted before the NGT during the next posting of the case. "We are intensifying the existing monitoring drive at the industrial area and will take additional steps if required," he said.

Earlier, the NGT, based on the report submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), found there was a serious violation of pollution norms on the Eloor-Edayar stretch. The Bench consisting of SP Wangdi and Nagin Nanda also asked the various stakeholders to launch a collective effort to address the pollution issues addressed in the report.

The report also said most of the industrial units in the Eloor industrial area are not complying with the pollution control norms. It said some of the units are having very poor and low-quality mechanisms when it comes to effluent treatment.

Meanwhile, the greens allege though the PCB claims they are monitoring the Eloor-Edayar stretch, no such inspections happen. At the time of massive fish kill in the Periyar last year, the PCB promised to take steps to monitor the situation. However, nothing happened.

When water in Periyar turned red

Recently, the Periyar turned red near the Pathalam bund, following which the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered inspection of all the industrial units operating on the banks of the river. Meanwhile, in a study conducted by the School of Marine Sciences of Cusat, it was has revealed increased heavy metal content in the rivers and streams that form the estuarine system of Kochi is killing the marine wealth. It said the industrial effluents which are dumped into the river Periyar contains copper, zinc, lead, iron, arsenic, cadmium and other heavy metals. These heavy metal content can lead to changes in the gills, liver, kidney and spleen of the aquatic organisms.