Mon Mar 17 16:56:34 UTC 2025: ## Kerala Launches Project to Combat Periyar River Pollution
**Kochi, Kerala – March 18, 2025** – A long-delayed project to combat pollution in the Periyar River is finally underway. A land survey has begun for the construction of a dyke wall and surveillance road along a two-kilometer industrial stretch in Eloor-Edayar. This initiative, part of the Periyar River Action Plan, aims to prevent illegal discharge of industrial waste into the river.
The project, spearheaded by the Department of Irrigation, was recommended in 2020 by the National Green Tribunal’s State Level Monitoring Committee on Solid Waste Management. Concerns over underground pipes potentially channeling industrial waste into the river spurred the recommendation for an inspection walkway.
Funding issues initially stalled the project, but a mass fish kill in May 2024 prompted renewed urgency. According to a December 2024 report, the project has now received financial clearance and soil investigation is complete. The construction of the dyke wall and surveillance road is expected to significantly improve monitoring and prevent future pollution incidents in this crucial stretch of the Periyar River.
First Piper 