KOCHI: The dumping of refuse, including hospital waste, into the Muvattupuzha River has put the Muvattupuzha municipality in a tight spot.
According to the environmentalists, the waste from the Government General Hospital as well as a building complex run by the civic body was being let out directly into the river. They said pollution was choking the river even as the civic body remained a mere onlooker.
Meanwhile,the Muvattupuzha municipal authorities said they had begun to initiate action against the culprits.
“We are cracking down on the culprits. Besides, the work on repairing the drains is on,” said an officer.
In fact, a study conducted by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board(KSPCB) had revealed high levels of E coli contamination of the river water. As per the KSPCB findings, the water samples showed 3,733 counts of coliform bacteria in 100 ml of water.
The KSPCB findings corroborated an earlier report by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) which said the surface water samples collected from various places in the Muvattupuzha river basin were of poor quality. The samples showed high levels of bacterial contamination.
The encroachments along the river banks, dumping of waste, including sewage from the hospitals, hotels and commercial establishments, pose a major threat to the existence of the river formed by the confluence of three tributaries--the Thodupuzhayar,the Kaliyar and the Kothayar.