Milestones In Our Campaign

- Scientific studies conducted by Greenpeace in 1999 at Eloor, revealed the presence of more than 100 organic compounds, 39 of which were organochlorines, including DDT and its metabolites, endosulfan and several isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). These scientific findings established Eloor to be a toxic hotspot of Global proportions. This escalated the campaign and thereby exposed the local environmental problems at local, national, international levels through direct action and media attention on Eloor. Further, the Central Pollution Control Board earmarked Eloor as one of the critically polluted areas in the country following this expose. The status was further substantiated with the study conducted at Eloor in 2003.Contaminants were recorded for the first time recorded to be passing the whole breadth of the island, via the inland creeks, to enter the Periyar river at its southern shore.

2. Proactive and successful Riverkeeping programme

- When attempts by local community to get the regulatory authorities to check the ongoing environmental catastrophe at Eloor, failed, Greenpeace appointed, Mr. VJ Jose, a community representative as the Riverkeeper of the Periyar in November 2002. He was to monitor water quality of the river and alert local government, regulatory authorities, and pollution control boards to compel immediate follow up action. The report published as the Riverkeeper's findings over a period of a year revealed disturbing trends. This brought the spotlight back on the dying Periyar and motivated her people (from Eloor and elsewhere) to act by joining Jose in the spirit of volunteerism to save their river.

3. Recognition of Emergency with respect to People's health and the environment

- In 2003-2004 Greenpeace conducted an epidemiological health study at Eloor, the findings of which were shocking. The health study began with the predicted presumption that health problems may be related to the known types of diseases related to air and water pollution. However it was found that Eloor suffers in all kinds of maladies of the body that arise out of contamination of the land, air and water by these cocktail of poisons. Every organ in the body seemed affected. The release and action, which followed the release of the study emphatically, registered the plight of human and environmental health at Eloor, a burning issue, which forced Government and regulatory authorities to respond in favour of the community.

4. Greenpeace lobbying and diplomacy efforts; people's proactive participation makes Eloor an election issue

- In a run-up to the 14th Lok Sabha Eelections, Greenpeace launched a national outreach programme in key cities in India, urging voters, especially youngsters, to use their suffrage as a powerful tool to insist that environmental concerns be placed on the electoral agenda of candidates. In this regard, as part of the Vote of the Planet Campaign, over hundreds of people exercised their solidarity for environment in general and Eloor in particular by casting their vote. This proactive participation from people culminated in a "Meet your Candidate" programme, where the political candidates from different parties were forced to take a stand with respect to environmental issues in the Ernakulam District. The push met success when the MP from LDF released a revised election manifesto, which factored the party's plan of action for the problem at Eloor.

5. Negating End-of-Pipe Solutions as an answer.

- As a solution to the ongoing pollution at the Eloor Industrial Belt, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Kerala Industrial Development Corporation (KIDC) had recommended the setting up of a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) to treat effluents flowing into the Periyar from the Industries located on her banks. A similar proposal by these entities was thwarted a few years ago, in the wake of protests from the community and environmentalists. Even in theory, CETPs are not a suitable option for the treatment of industrial effluents from a complex variety of industries (see footnote 1). Their continued push for end-of-pipe solutions such as CETPs clearly indicated the Industry and Governments reluctance to address the real problem of pollution and continue to sacrifice the viability of life-supporting ecosystems for the sake of industrial economic viability. Greenpeace's public mobilization, media interactions and lobbying efforts yielded dividends when the proposal was forced to be dropped.

6. The Elected MP for Ernakulam, Dr. Sebastian Paul sets up the Periyar Action Plan Committee with an immediate mandate to remmediate and restore the Periyar to her past glory, forcing the industries to clean up their act

- The elected MP for the Ernakulam District, Dr. Sebastian Paul, constituted a Periyar River Authority Committee, which involves all concerned constituents as members. These include regulatory agencies, the Industry, local politicians and beaurocrats responsible for the district and environmental groups who have been campaigning on this issue. The plan also necessitates the need for increased awareness and participation of the public. The committee is currently in process of coming up with a detailed plan, which provides room for Industries to continue to operate, incorporating clean production technologies and sustainable development paradigms to curtail the ongoing environmental abuse at Eloor.


Footnote 1. Effluents from different sources tend to carry different toxins at different levels and are often a complex cocktail of poisons, each of which would require different methods for removal or destruction. Rather than get rid of the pollution, CETPs merely redistribute the poisons from the liquid to a solid sludge phase. By focusing attention on effluents, CETPs tend to hide the fact that they not only generate vast amount of highly contaminated sludge, but also contribute significantly to air pollution by pollutants that volatise into the environment. Greenpeace Studies on "Model CETPs" across the world clearly establish them to be a waste of money and a threat to the environment and people in the proximity.