The Hindu Business Line : Experts call for Periyar management authority

The watchdog
The different statutory agencies also have a vital role in overseeing that the environmental management around industrial units are foolproof.
The series of intervention should include surprise monitoring, penalising defaulters and rewarding those who achieve levels beyond compliance.

Kochi , Dec. 10

Experts at a seminar on `Save Periyar' have suggested ways and means to protect the ongoing degradatation of the river and to draw up a multi-pronged approach through the direct involvement of a responsible industrial mechanism.

Presenting a paper at the seminar held here on Sunday, Dr M.P. Sukumaran Nair, Managing Director, Travancore Cochin Chemicals Ltd, said that among the various stakeholders, industries such as large, medium and small ones located on the banks of Periyar have a major role to play.

He pointed out that the problem of degradation of adjoining water bodies around manufacturing industries is not something unique to Periyar, but is an issue common to all major industrial belts.

The remedy

The best remedy to the pollution caused from the units lies in forcing existing industrial units to put up modern treatment facilities wherever such facilities are lacking, operate plants most diligently, ensure that discharges fully comply to the stipulations of the statutory authorities and ensure round-the-clock monitoring and documenting.

He pointed out that a number of chemical processing units on the banks of River Danube in Europe discharge large quantities of effluents.

However, meticulous care in the treatment of effluents discharged, strict compliance to the stipulations of the pollution control authorities and monitoring by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River protects the river eco-system.

A similar river management authority and system attached to the different rivers in the State might be helpful to serve as a watchdog to ward off pollution at all costs, he said.

The authority should have a vision as to what the Periyar River system might look and function in the future, under an integrated river management strategy that is driven by the mutual goals of reducing pollution from industrial effluents, agricultural run offs and urban solid waste.

Status report

The industry management have to take the lead in ensuring environmental sustainability by specifying environmental policy and objectives besides operating their facilities using the best available techniques in the field.

They should bring about environmental status report for public information and various industries in the location should join together to create a platform for the environmental management of Periyar eco system.

According to Mr Nair, the different statutory agencies also have a vital role in overseeing that the environmental management around industrial units are foolproof through a series of intervention involving surprise monitoring, penalising defaulters and rewarding those who achieve levels beyond compliance and encourage everybody towards attainment of sustainable industrial operation.

They should also assess the environment burden arising out of industrial units and take steps to systematically reduce the same year after year, he added.

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