Several key projects including the proposal to set up a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) to check illegal discharge of untreated wastewater into the Eloor-Edayar stretch of the Periyar still remain in cold storage.
The government had earmarked ₹30 crore towards setting up a CETP in the Edayar industrial area. However, protests by local residents and the delay in release of funds hit the project. People feared that their water sources might get contaminated due to technical glitches in the functioning of the plant. There were no concrete efforts on the part of the authorities to instil confidence in the residents regarding the project.
The ₹30-crore assistance was part of the ₹250-crore aid agreed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India for setting up CETPs in various industrial estates in the State. The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) had prepared a preliminary report. It had proposed a plant having a capacity to treat two million litres per day.
The site identified was close to the northwest portion of the industrial estate, which was previously occupied by the now defunct Periyar Chemical Industries. The KWA report pointed out that there was sufficient land with facility to discharge to the downstream of the Pathalam regulator-cum-bridge of the Periyar.
The National Green Tribunal had pulled up the authorities on multiple occasions for not initiating steps to check illegal discharge of effluents into the river.
