The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has asked for an explanation from the Kozhikode Corporation on the water pollution in parts of Elathur ward of the civic body. Commission member K. Baijunath has asked the Corporation Secretary to submit a report on steps taken to solve the issue and future plans, within four weeks.
The Commission had suo motu registered the complaint based on newspaper reports on the issue. Councillor from Elathur Manoharan Mangariyil had raised the issue at the Corporation Council meeting on Monday and had sought the civic body’s intervention to find an effective solution.
According to him, the residents of about 400 houses in Mattuvayal, Padannayil and Azheekal areas of Elathur have been affected. The area is located between the railway line and the sea, close to the estuary of Korapuzha, and is filled with small streams that provide water and fish to the residents. However, post the tsunami in 2004, the structure of the land changed. A sand bund created near the estuary is blocking the flow of water into and from the streams. As a result, the water is stagnated and is filled with worms and waste. During the rain, the polluted water entered the courtyards of houses, said Mr. Mangariyil.
The Corporation used to find temporary solutions to the issue by splitting the sand bund and allowing the water to flow into the sea. But the bund would usually be formed again in a day. Mr. Mangariyil suggested to the Council that a new canal should be built in the region, opening into the river, so that the high tide and low tide would ensure free flow of water into the streams, thus purifying them. He highlighted the severe water scarcity in the region. Most houses in the area do not have wells as they are close to the coast. They depend on water supplied by the Kerala Water Authority. The age-old pipeline often bursts, resulting in water scarcity for weeks.
Mayor Beena Philip said the issue would be dealt with as soon as possible.
The Human Rights Commission has said that the people in the locality are planning a protest against the Corporation for its alleged indifference to the issue.
