The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) has initiated a feasibility study on the development of process package treatment method to check pollution in Edappally and Perandoor canals.
Pattolit and Valiyat canals in Kollam are also part of the project to be implemented under the supervision of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had earlier asked the government to take steps to check the indiscriminate degradation of canals following the illegal discharge of untreated wastewater into them.
The expert team from CSIR-NIIST, Nagpur, had conducted a field visit to inspect Edappally and Perandoor canals in April to identify the sources of pollution. An estimation of the pollution loads of sewage discharge from various local bodies into the canals will be done soon. The team will examine data related to water quality parameters in the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. A detailed project report will be prepared on the basis of the feasibility study.
The team observed that the configuration of the Edappally canal throughout its length was not uniform in terms of width and depth. There is tidal effect in the canal, which allows the flow of water and wastewater in both directions. At present, it carries stormwater and domestic sewage generated in the Kochi Corporation area.
The package treatment method involves sewage treatment through physical, chemical and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological pollutants and contaminants.
The Southern Bench of the NGT had asked the State government to implement temporary measures such as the phytorid wastewater treatment technology proposed by NEERI while maintaining that projects to rejuvenate canals could not be kept pending forever.
