THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: During the Cyclone Ockhi, the sea threw back the waste the same way the city dwellers dumped them into seas, say corporation health officials. The cleaning drive included removing 25 tonnes of waste exposing the intensity of pollution. The waste was primarily being dumped into the sea by miscreants at areas such as Kadinamkulam. On the other hand, marine experts say the breaking of Veli and Panathura sandbars during Ockhi has led to the large-scale dumping.
"The cleaning up process lasted for days, and around 300 employees had to be pressed into service," said Anoop Roy, a senior corporation health official. "Sacks with waste were returned by the sea exactly the way it might have been dumped. While miscreants dump the waste into the sea, those living by the coast also add up to this. So we have initiated the discussions to set up aerobic bins in all fishing hamlets." Meanwhile, an NGO conducting undersea expedition cites the untimely breaking of sandbars due to cyclone as the reason for the present waste discharge.
