As per the assessment based on official records, restoration of polluted Edayattuchal and Chakkarchal paddy fields in the Edyar industrial area is getting delayed.
State Pollution Control Board (PCB), in its report submitted to the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on April 10, had said that the restoration work is likely to remain sluggish. It acknowledged that the joint committee of experts appointed by the Tribunal pursuant to an order dated April 13, 2021, had not yet carried out inspections to ascertain the source of contamination of paddy fields.
A report by the Central Pollution Control Board last December pointed to heavy metal contamination limits in paddy fields being exceeded. It said the now defunct Edyar Zinc Limited (formerly Binani Zinc Limited) was responsible for the incident. The report recommended that remedial work be executed by the industry as per the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the Central Board.
However, in the latest report filed by the PCB, it has been said that the members of the committee did not analyze the DPR properly. The study for preparation of DPR was completed in 2018. The board’s report claimed that the floods in 2018 and 2019 could significantly reduce critical soil parameters.
The report said the review samples carried out with Kuzhikandam Thodu, another area identified for treatment due to heavy pollution, showed a substantial reduction in the concentration of various parameters.
No concrete steps have been taken so far to recover ` 47.88 crore from the Company as cost of treatment of contaminated sites. Meanwhile, state officials said that neither the industrial unit management nor the bank attached to it has responded on the payment of environmental compensation. Company officials had earlier requested the court to fix liability only on the basis of pertinent evidence, as they were not the only industry operating in the area.