KANNUR: An expert team from the Gwalior-based nuclear, biological and chemical wing of the Defence Ministry will study the pollution in the Rayarom river at Alakkode here following the dumping of pesticides and help recover the pollutants from the river-bed.
The expert team will arrive here on Friday and visit the area where the river is the most polluted after the pesticides were dumped into it on August 1. This was disclosed by K.C. Joseph, MLA, who, after visiting the area on Thursday morning, contacted Defence Minister A.K. Antony to seek the assistance of the Army experts for cleaning the polluted areas.When contacted by The Hindu, Mr. Joseph said Mr. Antony immediately responded by announcing that the team of experts would visit the spot on Friday.
The pollution of the river was first noticed when people who had bathed in the river downstream developed health problems, including exhaustion. Later, eight youths who had volunteered to recover the pesticides dumped into the river also showed signs of physical exhaustion and were taken to hospital.
Six persons involved in the dumping of the pesticides have been arrested by the police. The police said that bags and bottles of pesticides, whose expiry date was over, loaded in three pick-up vans had been unloaded into the river by those arrested. The pesticides had been collected from a closed pesticides shop that has now been rented out for a new venture.The announcement of the decision to send the expert team follows an earlier decision to despatch a group of Navy divers to clear the waste, which is feared to cause serious environmental and health hazards.
The Navy divers will reach here by Friday evening.
Mr. Joseph said Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran had promised to intervene to requisition the services of a National Disaster Response Force team based at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu to clean the river waters.
Personnel of the Fire and Rescue Services continued to search for the pesticide waste on Thursday. Nearly 30 bottles and packets of pesticides were recovered.It is feared that the pollution of the river will affect the health of the people living along its banks from Rayarom to Valapattanam who use the river water for various purposes.The authorities have made arrangements to make public announcements alerting the people against using the river water.
Sample collection
A State Pollution Control Board official said water samples from five points downstream had been collected to analyse the pesticide content. The samples had been sent to its laboratory in Kochi and the results were expected in a week.
An action committee of local people blocked the Rayarom-Alakkode road for nearly an hour demanding that the authorities take urgent action to recover the pesticides from the river. They demanded action on a war-footing to clean the water.
Source: The Hindu 6-8-2010
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