Stalemate over Pathalam bund continues

Environmentalists brace for a showdown as authorities prepare to open shutters

The shutters of the Pathalam bund will be opened any time during low tide, according to the district administration.

KOCHI: Tension prevailed in and around Pathalam in Eloor as stalemate over opening the shutters of the bund continued for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Following reports that the authorities would be opening the shutters on Saturday, a group of environmental activists opposed to the move have been camping in the area since Friday midnight. Though officials of the Kerala Water Authority and the Irrigation Department visited the location on the day, the authorities deferred the opening.

Incidentally, policemen were not deployed in the area despite the situation being edgy.

Environmentalists are now bracing for a showdown as the authorities are expected to commence the opening procedure amid heavy security by Saturday midnight.

While green activists pointed out that the presence of chloride had dropped over the past one week and hence there was no need to open the shutters for the time being, the district administration maintained that necessary steps would be taken to open the shutters.

“According to reports available with the State Pollution Control Board, the level of chloride in the water stood at 137 mg per litre on January 17 and 127 mg per litre the next day, much below the 250 mg per litre stipulated for drinking water. Even if the level goes up to 1,000 mg per litre, the water could still be used for industrial purposes,” said Purushan Eloor, environmentalist.

The district administration, on the other hand, held that adequate protection would be given to officials overseeing the opening of the shutters. “Necessary directions have been issued to the Irrigation Department, and the shutters will be opened any time during low tide. Officials may be seeking police protection while the process is on,” said C.K. Prakash, Additional District Magistrate, Ernakulam.

The issue pertains to a district administration order to open the bund for six hours to allow saline-contaminated water to flow downstream so that the BPCL-Kochi refinery can draw fresh water for industrial use.

The move is being resisted by environmentalists who question its rationale and want the administration to find out as to how the river downstream of the bund has come to wear a black hue over the past several days.