On Monday, the Periyar river near the Eloor region in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, was black in colour — a phenomenon that is not new to the residents of this island municipality. Eloor is an industrial area and it is alleged that the discolouration of the river, which occurs more than once a month, is the result of releasing effluents into the waterbody.
On Monday, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas intervened in the matter and said that strict action will be taken against industries responsible for the pollution. "It has come to the notice of district administration that effluents are being released from industries in the region into Periyar River, which is the main drinking water source for the district. Since this will destroy the fish in the river and the freshwater, inspection should be conducted in the industries in the region, and the chief environmental engineer of Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) should initiate actions against those responsible, under the sections of Disaster Management Act,” the order read.
However, environmental activists, who have been working for the protection of the Periyar River over the past many years, note that the direction is inadequate and that it is likely to yield no result.
Why the order will be ineffective
Eloor, an industrial region in Ernakulam district, had seen multiple anti-pollution struggles of different forms and intensities over the past decade. Their demands have been to protect the land, the river and the air they breathe from the massive industrial activities in the municipality. Although fish deaths and the river changing its colour have become a regular phenomenon, residents allege that industries on the banks of Periyar river continue to release their effluents.
And so, according to environmental activists in the region, the chances of the culprits being punished is bleak. Their reasoning is based on the past responses of the KSPCB in the issue, which has been going on for more than years.
“Everyone in the region knows which companies discharge these pollutants to the river and through which all pipelines. Over the years, many have raised this issue to the KSPCB. However, they have always made unrealistic claims,” Purushan Eloor, an environmental activist in the region who had been raising the issue for over a decade, told TNM.
“For instance, they have attributed the colour change to the degradation of grasses and other reasons. If there is an increase in organic load or grass getting degraded, then why is it only happening in Eloor. Earlier, when Periyar was red in colour, they said it was because of some phenomenon in the river bed,” he recalled.
“Now, when we see the Collector asking the same officials to conduct an inspection, we know what is going to happen. We don’t have any hopes that the culprits are going to be booked,” he added.
Mahesh Kumar, a member of Periyar Janajagradha, a collective of residents in the region against the pollution activities, also agreed.
Narrating a recent example, he said, "Last week, when the river was black in colour, like how it was on Monday, some of us personally went around the area and tried to check the possible companies that could be discharging effluents. We found a septage sewage treatment company discharging effluents that looked untreated. When we called the KSPCB officials in Eloor inspect it, they said the office is closed due to the lockdown. Then we brought some police officials and made them see it. We filed a police complaint in the matter, and a case was registered. But the KSPCB has not taken action in the matter yet."
He added, “That is how irresponsible they are. We do not expect a just result with this new order."
‘Legal sampling will hold case in court’
“We heard that the district administration convened a meeting on Monday. However, none of us, who have even been part of a Supreme Court-appointed committee, were called to discuss the matter,” said Purushan Eloor. The committee was dissolved a year after it was formed.
He pointed out that only if the officials do ‘legal sampling’, will the case, if ever registered, stand in the court.
“Legal sampling is the procedure of collecting samples from the river in the presence of two residents in the region and representatives of industries, in addition to the KSPCB officials. The samples will be collected in two bottles and sealed as per protocols. One will be handed over to the industries and the other will be taken by the KSPCB officials. Only if such sampling is done, we can prevent foul play and stop any pollution. Unfortunately, such procedures are never done by the pollution control board,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday took suo motu cognisance on the issue based on the news report that the river’s quality is deteriorating.
The High Court has also asked the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and Kerala State Pollution Control Board to submit a report in the matter soon. The case will be heard on April 24.
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