The State Pollution Control Board (PCB) will test leachate samples collected from the Brahmapuram waste dumping yard as part of prosecution measures against the Kochi Corporation for unscientific handling of waste at the site.
The test results will reveal the extent of pollution caused to the ground/surface water and soil. It will also help in ascertaining the level of pollution owing to release of leachate into the nearby Kadambrayar, which is one of the polluted river stretches as per the Central Pollution Control Board rating.
The results will be submitted along with the petition to be filed by the board against the Kochi Corporation for violation of provisions under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Section 24 of the Water (Prevention and Control of) Pollution Act, 1974.
The legal measures have been taken as a follow-up of the order issued by the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in July. The tribunal had said that the Chairman and Member Secretary of the PCB would be held liable if they failed to initiate prosecution and recover compensation from those responsible for unscientific handling of waste at Brahmapuram.
The board had earlier found the presence of heavy metals in leachate samples collected from the dumping site. The State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) on Solid Waste Management appointed by the tribunal had submitted a report before the Principal Bench in February, saying that the presence of aquatic weeds was high in the river owing to pollutants entering it. Leachate from the untreated biodegradable waste at Brahmapuram is a major source of pollution of the Kadambrayar. Incidentally, the site does not comply with the criteria for sanitary landfills, according to the report.
