TRIOUNITHURA: Pollution in rivers is increasing by the day. Huge quantities of toxic effluents are being discharged into the Periyar by the chemical factories in the district every day, 260 million litres to be precise.
About 90 percent of the open wells on the shores of Kadambrayar and Chitrapuzha, tributaries of Periyar, is contaminated with faecal matter.
Besides effluents from factories even sewage waste is being discharged into these rivers, all in the name of development.
Kadambrayar,
Chitrapuzha
The revelations of the detailed study conducted by a group of students from the Government Boys Vocational Higher Secondary School, Tripunithura, are shocking. The project titled Mission Kadambrayar throws light on the evils done to the lifeline of a thickly populated area where most of the people are engaged in farming and other nature related
occupation.
The students studied the physical parameters, chemical parameters, biodiversity status and even tourism potential of the two rivers.
Kadambrayar has 18 subways and a few canals and streams and Chithrapuzha has 16 small perennials, nine canals and streams, according to the study. Huge quantities of chemical discharges such as phosphate, ammonia, sulphides, fluorides and heavy metals are settled in the riverbed. Under the strict supervision of school headmistress K S Shobhana (now promoted as DEO) and S Seetharaman the students have also prepared an action plan for the protection of the river. The authorities should ensure that the industrial lobbies are prevented from discharging effluents into the river, suggests the report.
Inspired by National Green Corps
“As part of the project work of National Green Corps we selected a few students from the higher classes to conduct this task,” said K K Abdul Razak, the coordinator of NGC. As a preliminary measure the students prepared a detailed sketch of the entire drainage system and the rivers flowing through Ernakulam district.
They chose two rivers near their school with which they were familiar, Kadambrayar and Chitrapuzha for the study. The students, divided into three groups, began their detailed study of the 19.2-km-long river spread over an area of 38.54 sqkm. They selected 12 potential spots which were categorised as less polluted, average polluted and highly polluted zones.
Pollution Alarming
“Findings on the basis of this division were interesting, said the students. The portion of the river flowing through the village area was less polluted whereas the portion flowing through the industrial belt was found to be highly polluted,” they said.
The findings also revealed that a total of 44,248 people residing on the banks of the rivers depend on its resources. Interestingly, 3,131 of the 4,940 people chosen for the study were engaged either in agriculture or fishing. The ever increasing pollution rate of the river would affect their life as the river is their bread winner, the students stated in the project report.
Farmers Recall Their Heyday
“Till the 1980s the rivers were our lifeline and the surroundings were rich in paddy cultivation and flora and fauna, said a 70- year-old-farmer who has seen the prosperous days of the river. Those days we got a rich harvest,” he told Amal Mohan, a Class IX standard student who has quoted it in the report.
“The informal conversations helped students get to know the soul of the farming community,” said Abdul Razak. The community-oriented project work will bring students closer to their living surroundings and help them mould a suitable career in tune with their taste and skill, Razak said.
When we go in the detail of the descriptive report and the data one can notice the strong will power of the students and their unadulterated love for nature.
The school authorities are busy planning the formal release of the project report.
“Once released the project report will certainly be a milestone in the history of this 100-year-old school which has contributed many celebrities to society,” said the teachers of the school.
