Thiruvananthapuram: The coastal activists alleged on Tuesday that a five-star hotel at Kovalam had been releasing waste water into the sea from its sea-front property flouting environmental norms. The NGO 'Friends of Marine Life (FML)' said that the violation by Leela Kovalam was found and photographed during a sea-based expedition to document pollution caused by hotels and resorts. The diver-turned-marine activists said they entered rocks through the sea side cliff that were not visible or accessible through public land area. The hotel used a 50-metre-long pipe with around four inch dimension to continuously channel water into the sea.
"The brackish water was being channeled through one of the three caves. This cave traditionally named 'Udayon Vaari' was located by the side of the property. The authorities have to crack the whip on all such violations involving hoteliers," said Robert Panipilla, chief coordinator of FML. Meanwhile, the Leela Kovalam officials rubbished the allegation. "We do not let out any water into the sea. We have an excellent sewage and waste water treatment facility here. The treated water also was being used for gardening purpose within our premises," said a senior official. The activists said that the stinky water with brackish tone did not bear resemblance to treated water.
