Suspected presence of chemicals in summer showers in Kochi

KOCHI

The summer showers that occurred over parts of Ernakulam on Wednesday evening had suspected presence of chemicals, though atmospheric scientists said that it could be confirmed only after testing samples in laboratories.

A few commuters pointed out that the rainwater that fell on the ground near Vyttila had chemical contamination as it had a ‘whitish-foam’ like appearance. Rajagopal Kamath, science writer, said in a Facebook post that the first summer showers that hit Kochi city could be rain with chemical contamination.

There were unconfirmed reports that the initial summer showers might have chemical contamination, especially in view of the increase of pollutants in the air amid the Brahmapuram fire that started on March 2.

However, atmospheric scientists clarified that lab tests were required to ascertain the occurrence of rain with chemical contents. Dr. S. Abhilash, Director of the Radar Centre at the Cochin University of Science and Technology, said that litmus paper test might not be able to confirm whether there was chemical contamination in the summer showers on Wednesday evening.