Muvattupuzha river turns into a dump yard

PIRAVOM: The Muvattupuzha river, one of the drinking water sources in the district, has turned into a waste dumping yard. The people living on the banks of the river and the shop owners are responsible for turning the river into a cesspool. Butchers and meat shop owners throw the slaughterhouse waste into the river at night from the bridge. Waste from the mini industrial units are also dumped into the river. The river is considered to be the future drinking water source in central Kerala. The Periyar is shrinking due to aggressive sand mining and pollution. So the new drinking water projects will be coming up on the Muvattupuzha river. The JNNURM drinking water project for Kochi is being constructed on the banks of the river at Pazhoor. The Japan drinking water project for the Cherthala taluk is nearing completion at Kalamboor and the Chengalappalam project for Vaikom taluk is in the final stage of its construction.  A few other projects are also in the pipeline.Two weeks ago nearly 25 sacks of plastic waste was dumped into the Chalassery kadavu. The local people suspect it to be the waste of bags and carpets. Following the complaint from the public, the panchayat authorities removed the waste from the kadav. “The natives of Kakkad caught a vehicle carrying slaughterhouse waste which was being dumped into the river,” said Thankachan, a resident of Kakkad.The waste water from the town and the private bus stand also flows into the river. Waste from major towns such as Muvattupuzha, Ramamangalam and other minor cities are also thrown into the river. There are no industrial units functioning near it. But urgent attention of the authorities is needed to preserve the river as a natural water source in the district.