The draft of the Kerala Perspective Plan, 2030 highlights the need to address rising water and land pollution in fast expanding cities like Kochi that is witnessing a huge influx of migrant population, especially in outskirts like Perumabavoor. Kochi figures in the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s list of 88 major industrial clusters with critical levels of pollution. “The Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) for water component was above 60 which is a matter of concern. The cluster (Greater Kochi) also scores high on land and air pollution at 54 and 57 respectively,” says the draft plan. State officials point out that though Kerala is a moderately polluted state with few highly polluted industrial regions, the fragile nature of its ecology needs to be controlled and it should make a long-term plan to further reduce the pollution levels. Experts point out that inadequate waste disposal system and dumping of waste into water bodies and rivers have been a major source of concern. “This is where the recommendations made by Madhav Gadgil’s Western Ghats Expert Ecology Panel report acquire significance. We need to not only preserve the forest and core areas, but even the buffer zones through which the rivers pass by so that the water does not become polluted by the time it reaches the paddy fields and drinking water sources. A classic example is the high level toxicity in the Periyar that begins as a pristine river and degrades into an almost murky pool by the time it touches the sea,” says Dr Latha Anantha of River Research Centre. She suggests that if the citizens do not comply with source-level disposal of waste, a penalty should be levied on them. “The imposition of fine is working well in tourist places like Athirappilly. We as a society do not believe in self-regulation, so in many cases a deterrent measure works wonders,” she said. TNN