The Hindu Business Line : Pampa – turning into a health hazard

The outbreak about two months back of a lethal viral fever suspected to be chickengunia in several panchayats in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district and the continued existence of virus carriers in the region could lead to serious consequences if the areas were not cleared of mosquito breeding besides arresting the pollution of river Pampa on a war footing as the next pilgrim season is just three months away.

Pollution of river Pampa is an indirect contributor to the outbreak of this viral fever, Dr B. Padmakumar, Assistant Professor (Medicine), Alapuzha Government Medical College told Business Line. Non-implementation of the Pampa Actio n Plan (PAP) under the Centre’s national river conservation programme even five years after its approval, continued to keep the river water highly polluted by pollutants which include faeces, hospital and hotel wastes and so discharged in to the river during the Sabarimala pilgrimage and from the 34 panchayats and a municipality down stream till it runs into the Vembanadu Lake.

He said that the death toll from the disease reported to have crossed 400 and more than half of it was in Pathanamthitta district, said Mr Padmakumar, who was a member of the Government investigating team that visited the areas.

On the other hand, he said, pollution in river Pampa due to faecal contamination is directly responsible for the rise, of late, in water-borne diseases in the State’s Alappuzha district. The Government Medical College in Alappuzha receives 200 cases every year having ‘LeptSpirosis’ and the mortality rate in this case is 10 per cent, at least 20 persons die of this disease, he said.

Besides, compared to other districts the number of cases of typhoid, viral hepatitis and gastroenteritis reported here is on the higher side, he said.

Drinking polluted water

This predicament could be attributed to the pollution of the river, he said. In the water logged Kuttanadu, about 90 per cent of the inhabitants depend on the lake water for their daily uses including for drinking as potable water is scarce in several areas.

Last year several parts of this district witnessed an outbreak of chickengunia and it’s after effects are still felt by the infested people. This year the outbreak of the fever, with somewhat similar symptoms of chickengunia was in Perinadu and Chittar panchayats on the route to Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district on the upstream of river Pampa. This had spread to the neighbouring district of Alapuzha in the river basin.

However, the Government virology institute at Alapuzha had not confirmed it as chickengunia, he said

Pollution of Pampa indirectly contribute to the epidemic because of the improper and negligent handling of the garbage and disposal of sewage which contain faeces, after the November-January pilgrimage season and during and after the visit by thousands of devotees for monthly “darshan” at Sabarimala, Mr S.D. Jeyaprasad, Member Secretary, Kerala Pollution Control Board, said.

The existing sewage treatment plant at Cheriayanavattom near Pampa is inadequate and the partially treated sewage is pumped into forestland, he said.

As there is no proper disposal system or arrangement, he claimed, the sewage flows through land into Njunangar.

Mr N.K.S Nair, General Secretary, Pampa Parirakshana Samithi, an NGO, said that the authorities should have set up the three million litre per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant at Sabarimala and 1.5 MLD plant at Pampa, the two important schemes approved by the NRC Department at an estimated cost of Rs 2.4 crore and Rs 1.2 crore respectively in the first phase of the project.

For implementing the first phase involving a total investment of Rs 18.45 crore, the NRC Directorate under the MoEF had accorded administrative approval and sanctioned 70 per cent central share of the total cost amounting to Rs 12.92 crore in May 2003.

The first phase of the project, as per NRCD schedule, was to be completed by the end of 2006-07, he said.

Realising the importance of keeping the river Pampa clean, the Centre had accepted the PAP project involving a total investment of Rs 319.70 crore, submitted by the State Government on December 19, 2002 to be completed in three phases following the inclusion of the River in the NRCP in June 2001.

The schemes would cover sewage and garbage disposal in all the 34 panchayats and one municipality in Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts in the river basin.

Non-implementation of the project due to the impervious attitude of the authorities has accelerated pollution, environmental degradation resulting in outbreak of epidemics.

Mr Jeyaprasad said that compared to previous years there was some improvement in controlling the pollution last season and yet the presence coliform bacteria in the Pampa river water was over 50,000 ppml as against the accepted level of below 500/ppml, he said.

Improvement

According to the KPCB “it is imperative that water quality of Pampa river be improved/upgraded in its entire stretch not only for the beneficial use of water for the use of pilgrims and in the townships situated within the basis but also for improving water quality in the downstream stretches, especially in the water logged areas of Kuttanad and Vembanadu Lake”, he said.

Dr Padmakumar said that after 3 three months, the pilgrim season would commence and considering the presence of carriers of virus, mosquitoes, in the region, immediate action is needed to clean the entire area where the pilgrims come and stay.

Failing which, they all said, there could be a catastrophe.

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