Kerala: Rivulets diverted to private quarry

THISSUR: Two natural rivulets originating from the reserved forest in Dhoni forest range near Malampuzha dam here have  been diverted to a private quarry and crusher unit for the commercial use of washing  M-sand. The violation by the 'Royal Crusher' unit has been unearthed by environmental organisation  Paristhithi Aikya Vedi. This comes  at a time when other  environmental violations have been reported in the state, including by   MLA P.V. Anwar in Koodaranji panchayat in Kozhikode for a water park and the alleged encroachment by  Mr Joyce George MP  at Kottakamboor in Idukki.

Vedi's member and green activist Boban Mattumanth,  who  filed a complaint with the chief minister, revenue and forest ministers and the district collector  on Saturday,  said that a team from his organization had visited the crusher unit lying adjacent to the Dhoni forest here on Monday and collected  the details of the illegal activity along with its photographs. "Both the rivulets named 'Vilavakundu thodu' and 'Karippali  thodu' have  been diverted by building a huge tank near the forest inside a land which the crusher owner claims to hold. The tank water is then diverted through penstock pipes which are laid by filling the rivulets. By filling the laid pipes with soil, one of the rivulets has been fully reclaimed," Mr Boban told DC.

The penstock pipes extend to nearly 1.5 km and there is another tank built near the crusher to collect the diverted water, he added. Vedi activists told DC that after they raised the issue,  political leaders were calling them over  phone to play down the issue. "The crusher is functioning in Akathethara panchayat ruled by the CPM and the party has not taken any  action in the matter,"  Mr Boban said. Due to diversion of the rivulet, a total of 125 acres of paddyland in Dhoni is not getting water and the farmers have  stopped cultivation. Meanwhile, officials at the Royal Crusher claim that they have dumped the soil from the crusher near the rivulets and the pipes were laid to prevent the water body from getting filled up with this waste.