Greens concerned as Periyar flow turns pink

Kochi: The change of colour of water in Periyar River in Eloor-Idayar region during the time of high-flow season is a matter of concern, said green activists.

The river water flowed with red colour for nearly eight hours on Thursday near the new bund under construction in the Pathalam area, they said. The colour change noticed around seven in the morning continued till 3 pm.

“We suspect that the chemical units on the banks of the river has released the accumulated effluents on the river taking advantage of the public holiday”, said Dr. Martin Gopurathingal, a scientist and green activist.

The fisher folks noticed the change of colour first and on the basis of information provided by them some of us visited the spot, he said.

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board has shown a callous attitude to the recurring incidents of change of colour for Periyar water, activists alleged. A junior official of the board visited and collected samples of water five after being intimated about the incident, they said.

The activists suspect that the companies have released the accumulated ahead of the visit of an expert team from National Engineering and Environment Research Institute (NEERI) to study the pollution in River Periyar.

“The NEERI team is expected to undertake a visit on October 27, 28 and 29 as directed by the National Green Tribunal”, Dr Martin. According to Dr. Martin this is the 50th time the eater has turned red in Periyar in this year. The river has also experienced the mass death of fish in at least 23 times in the past one year.