The Elappara thodu is now a dumping ground of waste, including plastic, e-waste, and waste from slaughter houses. The waste seeps into the water that joins the Periyar, the main drinking-water source of a large section of people living in the High Ranges, in addition to Ernakulam district.
The stench turns severe near Onnam Mile, near the Elappara town on the Kottayam-Kattappana stretch of the State Highway. The Elappara thodu carries a portion of the waste, which is scattered over the rivulet that borders a tea plantation. There were allegations that the grama panchayat was dumping waste on the roadside during night and the plantation management, after a court fight, managed to erect a board against dumping waste on its land. However, waste continues to be dumped near the private land, creating a public nuisance and posing a threat to the environment.
P.J. Melvin, a local resident, said lorries dumped waste there in the midnight. He approached many people with his complaint but authorities turned a blind eye to it.
He said he had purchased the plot with the hope of living there with family. However, even after three years, he has not settled here. Mr. Melvin said he was not aware of the problem and with the rain, it became a severe health issue.
Waste dumping had snowballed into a crisis three years ago and with the intervention of then District Collector, a project was drawn up to create a dumping ground for the two plantation grama panchayats of Peerumade and Elappara. However, it is yet to be realised.
‘Not responsible’
Elappara grama panchayat president R. Rajendran told The Hindu on Thursday that the local body was not responsible for the waste accumulation at Onnam Mile. He said the grama panchayat was now dumping the waste in a pit at Madammakulam, near Kuttikanam.
However, he said private parties continued to dump waste on the roadside. An important problem with the grama panchayat was lack of own land for creating a dumping ground. Mr. Rajendran said the residents themselves were now disposing of the waste and it resulted in a fall in total waste generation.
According to Johnson, another resident, the indiscriminate waste dumping would have been a major issue had it been elsewhere. It was a grama panchayat that mostly had plantation workers with only a few local residents.
A major health hazard loomed large over the people on the downstream area of the Elappara thodu, he said.