The Hindu Business Line : Periyar polluters warned of stern action

DYING RIVER: The Periyar River has been made a hub of industrial pollution by the units along its banks. A monitoring committee on hazardous waste set up by the Supreme Court that visited Eloor recently found that the river had become a place for "treatment, storage and disposal" of effluents. - K.K. Mustafah

Kochi , Aug. 17

THE monitoring committee on hazardous waste set up by the Supreme Court has warned stringent action against industrial units found polluting the Periyar River.

On the basis of its preliminary inference that the river is an "ecological disaster in the making," the committee, led by its Chairman Mr G. Thyagarajan, and made it known that hefty fines would be imposed on the industrial units polluting the river.

The committee visited FACT and Hindustan Insecticides Ltd (HIL). It also made it clear that companies using old technology in production would be asked to shut down. The committee will recommend to the Supreme Court that such industrial units would have to provide funds to restore the Periyar in its natural form. This fund would be used for bringing relief to those people affected by pollution.

The committee said that all illegal outlets into the river from industrial units would be closed with the co-operation of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. It has recommended that companies such as Binani Zinc would be directed to supply water to residents for polluting the water resources in the area.

Coming down heavily on the Pollution Control Board (PCB) for its failure in checking pollution of the river, the committee asked the board to step up its action against industrial units found violating environmental norms.

Mr Thyagarajan said the committee would submit its recommendations to the Supreme Court within two months. He pointed out that the industrial units located at Eloor would have to change their technologies to ensure clean production.

Finding that Periyar has become the place for "treatment-storage and disposal" of industrial effluents, the Chairman said effluents should be treated within the factory itself.

The members of the monitoring committee, who interacted with residents of Eloor, said a time-bound programme has to be drawn out to save the river with the cooperation of the local community. The committee urged the political parties and workers in various industrial units to ensure that the river does not get polluted.

Meanwhile, the Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi submitted a charter of demands requesting to set up a comprehensive chemical disaster management plan to tackle disaster situations such as gas leakages and breakout of fire in industrial units.

The Samithi has suggested the PCB should be restructured immediately by including environmental scientists, qualified public health doctors, epidemiologists and toxicologists.

More Stories on : Water | Pollution | Environment | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page