The Kerala State Pollution Control Board will propose a post-monsoon study of the ecological condition of the Periyar river before finalising the joint committee report to be filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The recommendation forms part of the follow-up action being taken as per the series of directives issued by the southern bench of the tribunal headed by Justice K Ramakrishnan asking the government and its departments to restore the river in its original condition.
An expert committee constituted by the tribunal had completed inspection of critical stretches of the river along Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts in April. The team had collected samples from various potential pollution-causing sources in the river.
Detailed analysis
However, the board officials involved in the project said that a detailed analysis of the ecological condition of the river post-monsoon period was a key requirement before finalising the report. This would help the board in coming up with a comparative analysis involving the river’s lifeline before and after the monsoon, they said.
The action plan to rejuvenate the river will be based on the report to be submitted by the committee. The pollution load assessment was carried out by the team in the impact zones of the river along the stretches in Idukki, Thrissur and Ernakulam. However, the results of the samples collected from these sites have not yet been finalised.
Further delay
The proposed action plan may be delayed further in the wake of the post-monsoon study of the river’s ecological situation. The tribunal had already pulled up the government for the inordinate delay in saving the river from indiscriminate pollution.
The issue has been pending for eight years. “It should not be allowed to continue in the future as well,” Justice K. Ramakrishnan had pointed out in an order issued on March 9.
The Bench had also criticised the joint committee for not filing its report suggesting measures to stop pollution in the river.
