White froth appears on Periyar River near Edayar industrial area in Keralam
Pollution Control Board collects samples
On Tuesday, the Periyar river near the Edayar industrial area in Keralam exhibited a layer of white, frothy foam, alarming local residents and officials alike. The Kerala State Pollution Control Board mobilized to collect water samples to ascertain if the phenomenon was the result of illegal waste discharge. Eyewitness Purushan Eloor, representative of the Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, suggested that untreated waste from bonemeal and chicken waste rendering units in the Edayar industrial area might be responsible for the observed anomaly.
The Environment Surveillance Centre awaited the outcomes of these laboratory tests to confirm the precise cause. This incident unfolded on the day following a meeting convened by the board, attended by elected representatives of Eloor municipality, Kadungallor panchayat, and environmentalists, who voiced concerns over air pollution allegedly caused by malfunctioning units in the Edayar industrial area.
Consequently, the board has decided to serve show-cause notices to approximately 20 such units, compelling them to explain why they should not be held accountable for lapses in adhering to measures to curb air pollution. A 2023 study by the CSIR–NIIST had revealed that biofilters, designed to remove pollutants and odors from industrial air emissions, were not functioning optimally in units involved in rubber, meat, and waste processing.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
