A booming industrial activity often brings its own problems to habitats in the vicinity. Pollution arising out of a number of units, especially those manufacturing chemical products, has become a matter of serious concern to the people living around the industrial estate in Edayar.
The Edayar industrial development area was one of the earliest industrial estates in the district. With an area of over 170 hectares, the project attracted over 350 entrepreneurs and units manufacturing a variety of industrial products were established there more than four decades ago. But establishment of an effluent treatment plant with adequate capacity to treat the waste material produced by various units remains a dream for the estate.
The acquisition of land for the project began in the second half of the last century when habitations around the area were scarce. People, mostly employees of the units, started living close to the industrial estate and residential colonies with large population came up in subsequent years. With more and more units commencing operation, the pollution issue started gaining prime attention, but efforts to set up a full-fledged waste treatment plant has come to naught thanks to opposition from the local people.
The State government had allocated Rs. 5 crore to set up a common effluent treatment plant, but the project could not take off because of the opposition from people, recounts K.A. Joseph, president of district unit of Kerala State Small Industries Association. About 2.5 acres of land was also allotted for the purpose. The sanction of the plant was ratified by the court, but political pressure mounted on the authorities to take up the project 6 km away from the originally proposed location.
The opposition by local people brought in uncertainty about the project which continuers even today, he says.
The Pollution Control Board should be able to assess the kind of waste materials produced by various units and the appropriate mechanism to deal with the disposal, but such an initiative has not happened, he adds.
The location identified for the project was away from the residential area as mandated by law, says District Industries Centre General Manager Pradip Kumar. But what can the department do in the face of large scale opposition, he asks.
The sanction to certain units without proper assessment of the pollution issue is one of the reasons behind the present plight, an owner of an industrial unit at Edayar said on condition of anonymity. Some of the units established in recent years are the major contributors to pollution, he alleges. These units have managed to operate in violation of norms on effluent treatment, with the connivance of the officials concerned, he rues. Corruption at high places is the root of the evil behind the prevailing pollution problem, according to him.
Edayar industrial belt has been identified by the health authorities as an area with high incidence of cancer. A few schemes have also been launched to help the victims, but such initiatives offer no solution to the perennial issue of pollution in the area.
