In a bid to combat the escalating pollution in the Periyar River, the Kerala High Court has mandated the creation of an expert committee to devise effective solutions. The directive was issued on Monday by a division bench comprising Chief Justice AJ Desai and Justice VG Arun, who emphasized the urgent need for action.
The newly constituted committee will be tasked with conducting thorough site visits and submitting a detailed report on their findings and proposed measures. The panel will include the Secretary of the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, the Regional Director of the Central Pollution Control Board (Bangalore), and the Chairman of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board.
The court’s intervention came in response to petitions filed by the Association of Green Action Force, activist KSR Menon, and the Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, who highlighted the severe pollution caused by industrial effluents discharged into the river. The Periyar River, crucial for the central Kerala region and the economic hub of Ernakulam, has been significantly affected.
Chief Justice Desai and Justice Arun, after reviewing the evidence and photographs presented by amicus curiae Ananthakrishnan A Kartha, acknowledged the detrimental impact of the pollution on the river’s ecosystem, affecting both human health and local biodiversity.
Despite prior orders from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2020 to address the contamination, the court noted that substantial action had yet to be taken. The industrial pollution from the Eloor-Edayar belt continues to plague the river, with previous efforts by government authorities and pollution control boards proving insufficient.
The court’s bench expressed dissatisfaction with the inaction, stating, “We find that neither the committee formed under the 2020 NGT order nor the Central and State Pollution Control Boards have adequately addressed the pollution issues in the Periyar River.”
In response, the court has instructed the expert committee to include representatives from the petitioners and the amicus curiae during site inspections to ensure a comprehensive assessment. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 3.
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