KOZHIKODE: Areekode grama panchayat will commence the ‘clean Chaliyar’ drive on March 18 after the confirmation of cyanobacteria (blue-green bacteria) in the water samples. A study by CWRDM (Centre for water resources and management) Kozhi-kode has confirmed the presence of the blue-green algae prominently at Areekode side due to the unrestricted waste disposal. Reacting to the wake-up call, the grama panchayat has formed a committee, comprising of traders, club office bearers and volunteers for the mission.
“Already the trading committee has been strictly asked to stop draining out waste to the river. Action will be taken against those who contaminate the river,” said Areekode grama panchayat president A. Muneera. But on the Kozhikode side, no such measures had been initiated. “We did not receive any warning from experts over river pollution. Here, the colour of the water has not been changed either in Chaliyar or in its tributary, Irivazhinji,” said Mavoor grama panchayat president Muneerath C.
The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has received the report of CWRDM but feels there is no immediate threat as such. “The report doesn’t say that blue-green algae is toxic. Moreover, there is no algae content in the sample collected from KWA pumping station,” said KWA Malappuram Executive Engineer (PHED division) Mohammad Sidiqu. P. He added that KWA has streamlined filtration and chlorination activities after the finding.
“There is no need to stop the water supply out of panic as it would boomerang during the near drought situation now,” he pointed. KWA also takes comfort from the fact that no aquatic species have been dead indicating that the algae is non-toxic. But according to CWRDM, though the cyanobacteria is not present in the sample taken from the pumping station of KWA, it could enter any time as the situation would worsen in the coming days. “The threat is that, the algae will worsen and there is a possibility it will get through the filtration as we are still depending on old methods of filtration,” opines CWRDM Scientist Dr Deepu S.
