Greens decry delay in remediation of Kuzhikandam creek in Kochi as PCB redraws plan
High Court directs PCB to revise implementation plan and complete key remedial works by year-end; greens say prolonged delay has allowed pollution and civic problems to persist; funding gap and recovery of remediation co
The heavily polluted Kuzhikandam creek at Eloor in Kochi. File photo
The inordinate delay in carrying out the remediation of the heavily polluted Kuzhikandam creek in Eloor municipality has come in for criticism from greens and local residents.
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB), which had earlier set August 2027 as the deadline for completing the project, has been prompted to redraw its plan following a directive issued by the Kerala High Court on July 15, 2026.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Syam Kumar V.M. said the court was not at all satisfied with the progress of the work expected to be carried out by the PCB while considering petitions related to the contamination of the Periyar. The timeline suggested by the Chief Environmental Engineer in the report dated July 14, 2026 was not acceptable to the court, it said. The court directed the Board authorities to complete the work referred to in paragraph 2 of the report [remedial work including installation of an effluent treatment plant] on or before December 31, 2026.
A.D. Sujil, former chairperson of Eloor municipality, said the work had to be expedited as the delay in carrying out desilting work along the creek had often resulted in waterlogging in the area. A permanent solution was required, he said.
Greens pointed out that the remediation of the Kuzhikandam creek had been pending for long. Purushan Eloor, spokesperson of Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samithi, said hazardous chemicals, including DDT and endosulfan, were detected at higher levels in all sediment samples collected from the creek and its sub-drains in the wake of the mass fish kill along the Eloor-Edayar industrial stretch of the Periyar in May 2024.
The Board had earlier informed the court that it would take immediate steps to commence the construction of the effluent treatment plant. The PCB said it had approximately ₹16 crore, and that the share from the National Clean Energy Fund, constituting 40% of the total sum required, had lapsed. A decision on the dues incurred by industrial units responsible for the pollution of the river towards the remediation cost is also pending.
Published - July 22, 2026 08:27 pm IST
Source: The Hindu — Cities
