TNPCB to convene meeting on mercury contamination in Kodai

Though Kodaikanal has already suffered irreparable damage with an estimated 1.3 tonnes of mercury going into the environment that can’t recovered, scientists and activists say it’s never too late and welcome the TNPCB’s decision to convene the meeting of stakeholders.

They urged TNPCB to adopt stringent norms and not allow Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), the polluter, to have any say on deciding on the clean-up standards. It’s up to TNPCB now.

“It can save or let Kodaikanal degrade further. Clearly, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by HUL proposing to clean up mercury up to 20 mg/kg is unacceptable for the simple reason that the same company that hired a Dutch consultant in 2001 offered the clean-up to 10 mg/kg which itself is way below the international standards for a watershed eco-sensitive area like Pambar Shola forest reserve plus the residential factor.

The HUL is trying to manipulate the situation and dilute standards and put the blame on TNPCB”, Nityanand Jayaram, member of Chennai’s solidarity group, told DC. He said that in 2007 the company sponsored two studies to be carried out by Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

The Nagpur-based NEERI concluded that clean-up standard of 20-25 mg/kg was enough for the site. However, the same NEERI at a meeting on May 3, 2005, at TNPCB had said HUL should clean-up to at least 2 mg/kg.

Kodaikanal municipality chairman M. Sridhar told this newspaper that TNP CB shouldn’t compromise on standards. “Anything less than 1 mg/kg is not preferable. The municipality should also be made one of the stakeholders and part of decision making process, which has not been done so far.”