Take steps to check pollution, government told

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has asked the State Government to adopt stringent measures to ensure that the proposed construction of breakwaters on the Veli river mouth do not end up polluting the coast. In April, the MoEF had given CRZ clearance to a State Harbour Engineering Department project for building breakwaters at Veli - on the Akkulam lake side - to keep the river mouth open throughout the year. This was to ensure that storm water gets discharged into the sea continuously and does not stagnate in the Akkulam lake, resulting in pollution. It is calculated that the breakwaters will prevent the annual formation of sandbars at the river mouth. The sandbars block free flow of storm water from the city into the sea. But keeping the river mouth open also can result in untreated drainage pouring out into coastal waters, the MoEF project appraisal committee has observed. The committee has asked the government to ensure that there is no discharge or dumping of waste into the drain. The water quality of the drain should be monitored on a regular basis and reported to the MoEF on a half-yearly basis. ‘’By creating a permanent opening, untreated urban sewage is likely to pollute the coastal waters. A treatment plant like aerated lagoon or stabilisation pond may be constructed, the overflow of which may be discharged into the sea,’’ the project appraisal committee noted while giving CRZ clearance to the project. The project involves the construction of two training walls of 220 metres in length each with a gap of 130 metres between the them. The total project cost is ` 12 crore. The Harbour Engineering Department had finalised the proposal based on studies conducted by the  Department of Ocean Engineering of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai.