The Kerala High Court on Tuesday suggested that a permanent bund be constructed at Pathalam to prevent the Periyar from being polluted by the discharge of effluent from industries at Edayar and also to check the flow of salt water to the river.
“Though the construction of a permanent dam will be an expensive one, it will be a permanent solution to prevent the pollution,” the court said.
A division bench comprising Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair and Justice C. K. Abdul Rahim asked the state to submit its stand on the construction of a permanent bund across the Periyar.
The court also directed the government not to grant permits to new chemical and industrial units in the Eloor-Edayar area.
The court said the state should not permit any company that was closed down, to start functioning again, as these units were asked to shut down as they were found to be polluting the place.
The court issued the order when the petition filed by Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi research coordinator Purushan Eloor sought a directive to prevent the river from being polluted as it is the main source of drinking water for Kochi.
During high tides there is a reverse thrust of water leading to the polluted water and salt water reaching higher levels from where water is pumped by the Kerala Water Authority.
In fact, a temporary bund used to be constructed every year at Pathalam to prevent salt water from entering the river beyond that point.
The petitioner submitted that the pollution was being caused by the industries located on either side of the Periyar in the Eloor-Edayar belt.
All industries source water from the Periyar and discharge the effluent into it. The court observed that the aquatic life was also being affected due to the pollution.
The petitioner further submitted that the recommendations of the health study committee constituted by the state in the nine wards of Eloor were yet to be implemented.
The committee had recommended the implementation of group health insurance of `2 lakh to each family.