Periyar discolouration continues as govt. agencies play the blame game
The Hindu
No concrete steps taken to check effluent discharge into river
Government agencies have not yet initiated proper measures to check illegal discharge of effluents into the Periyar from industrial units located close to the banks of the river in Edayar.
The Department of Irrigation and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board are playing hide and seek as incidents of discolouration of the Periyar waters near the industrial area are on the rise. No effective steps were taken to check this, going by the reports of the State Level Monitoring Committee on Solid Waste Management (SLMC).
The Board has put the blame on the Irrigation department for not taking the lead in desilting the spots close to the Pathalam bund while stating that the presence of mud and rubbles were hampering the efforts to carry out proper sampling at the time of an episode of discolouration.