Kallai river revival to begin amid concerns over sea waste disposal plan

Garbage dredged from the depths of the river may contain hazardous substances that are harmful to marine organisms

The long-awaited project to revive the Kallai river in Kozhikode, set to be inaugurated by Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine on Tuesday, has been a persistent demand of local fishermen and environmentalists.

Many of the city’s issues have been linked to the deteriorating condition of the river. However, fishermen are apprehensive about a section of the project that involves depositing the sand and garbage, dredged from the bottom of the river, into the sea.

“Initially, the Corporation’s plan was to deposit the waste 12 km out at sea. However, after several revisions, the current plan is to deposit it just 4 to 4.5 km in deep sea. This could have serious consequences,” said T.V. Rajan, State general secretary of the Green Movement.

The Green Movement has already submitted representations to Mayor Beena Philip and District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, raising concerns about the potential impact of the revised plan.

“The garbage dumped 4 km into the sea is likely to wash back onto the shore within no time. It may also contain hazardous materials such as high levels of mercury, microplastics, and other waste like plastic bags, bottles, and metal debris. Marine organisms could ingest these substances, which would eventually end up in the human food chain,” Mr. Rajan said.

The Green Movement has proposed that the Corporation repurpose the garbage as landfill. “The garbage could be used for projects such as the national highway construction or the expansion of the Calicut International Airport, which requires a significant amount of soil. This would avoid harming the marine environment,” Rajan said.

The Kallai River Protection Committee, which has long advocated for the river’s revival, is pleased that the project is finally moving forward. But the committee too has misgivings about the issue of depositing the garbage into the sea.

The dredging of the river is being carried out by a Mumbai-based firm, with the Kozhikode Corporation allocating ₹12.97 crores for the project.

Published - October 21, 2024 10:04 pm IST