A temporary court stay has not eased opposition to a poultry waste processing plant in Kerala, India, where residents have argued the site is contaminating a river that supplies drinking water and supports everyday life in nearby communities.
What happened?
According to Onmanorama, hundreds of residents from villages on the Iruthullippuzha River stood in the rain near Ambayathod in Kattippara panchayat and prevented entry to the plant.
Their action intensified after the company won a High Court stay against a closure order issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board on August 6.
Opposition to the plant has lasted for more than seven years. After flooding around August 1, residents said the dispute grew more urgent because floodwater allegedly entered the facility's waste storage area and then spread contaminated water through the village and downstream.
Mini Sunny, a homemaker who lives nearby, said the pollution affected close to 4,000 families and tainted drinking water sources used by about 50 riverbank settlements. Protesters have also linked the situation to respiratory problems and allergies among local children.
The Kattippara Grama Panchayat secretary reported that officials found no evidence of waste being released from the plant, and the High Court referenced that finding when it granted the stay. Residents said that account is inaccurate.
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Why does it matter?
Residents contended that the downpour around August 1 transformed a problem at a single industrial site into a wider emergency by pushing allegedly polluted water into homes, farms, and commonly used water supplies beyond the plant.
People in the area said the fallout extended to the ecosystem as well as the safety of the water and the quality of the air.
What's being done?
Residents resumed an indefinite blockade on August 7 and said they will stay unless the plant is permanently moved out of the area.
Kavya V, a local resident and chairperson of the Health Standing Committee of Thamarassery Grama Panchayat, said, per Onmanorama, "We will not stop our fight until the plant is relocated from here."
Before the next hearing on August 13, the High Court wants the Pollution Control Board's district office to have an environmental engineer inspect the site and file a report.
Alongside that process, local leaders and the action council intend to present their own evidence in court.
Mini Sunny said residents "deserve clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, and clean soil to live on," and Mujeeb K K, treasurer of the action council, said, "We will continue our protest until we achieve that goal."
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