Kochi: Noted film director Aashiq Abu has started a Facebook campaign urging the government to clear the air on the Periyar river pollution issue. Aashiq Abu started an online petition in this regard and shared the same on his official Facebook account. Mr Aashiq criticised the Cochin Minerals and Rutiles Pvt Ltd for polluting the river Periyar.
"CMRL is discharging lakhs of liter hazardous chemical waste into Periyar. They are doing it through the Edayar outlet. They are discharging ferrous chloride to the river. Last night, a few activists with the help of Pollution Control Board collected evidence and captured the entire leak on camera. In the past the Pollution Control Board had repeatedly failed to find the source even after noticing change in water colour and fish death." With more than 5 lakh followers, Mr Aashiq is a popular figure on Facebook.
The petition, addressed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeks his urgent intervention. "Honorable Chief Minister, there are 40 lakh people living in Kochi. Reports suggest that water we use is polluted. We are not sure whether it is true or not. However, the change in the river water color has become common which obviously give a food for thought," he said in his Facebook post.
