: In spite of assurances given by the State government to protect the Korayar river from pollution, chemical contamination caused by a number of factories, including steel rerolling mills and iron smelting factories, in the Kanjikode industrial belt is posing a threat to the tributary of the Bharathapuzha.
Fishes have been found dead in the river near the check-dam at Koralaru in the last one week. The tributary, which joins the Bharathapuzha through Kalpathi, is one of the major sources of drinking water across the Bharathapuzha river basin.
Chemical contamination has affected the quality of water being supplied to large parts of Palakkad, Thrissur, and Malappuram districts.
According to people living close to the river in the Kanjikode area, chemical contamination has polluted the water they draw from wells.
The Hindu had carried reports about the chemical contamination of the river seven months ago, following which the authorities had warned companies located in the Kanjikode and Pudussery areas against polluting the river.
The local community alleged that water was polluted due to indiscriminate discharge of industrial waste and untreated water by units in the Kanjikode industrial belt.
Other than chemical contamination, illegal mining of sand is rampant on the riverbanks.
Located close to the Walayar forests, the river is a main source of drinking water for animals, including elephants, in the Walayar, Akkara, and Anikkad forests. It also helps irrigate vast stretches of paddy fields in the region.
Intervention sought
“A foul smell emanates from the river owing to dead fishes. The check-dam constructed for irrigation facilities is now serving to accumulate chemicals and other industrial waste,” said S. Ganesh, a local resident.
“Complaints have been given to the District Collector and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests seeking their intervention. But no action has been taken so far. The polluters even include public sector companies in the region and liquor distilleries,” says S. Guruvayurappan, project officer, Wildlife Protection Society of India.
