The removal of soil contaminated with chemical waste from wetlands, ponds, and low-lying plots in Eriyad panchayat began on Tuesday, offering relief to residents who have been living under mounting anxiety for months.

A few loads of the contaminated soil were removed on Tuesday. A meeting chaired by RDO P. Shibu decided to remove the entire material within two days. The cost of the operation will be borne by the landowners and the intermediaries who arranged the supply of the soil.

The hazardous chemical waste from the now defunct Binani Zinc Limited in Ernakulam district was illegally transported and dumped across private lands in Eriyad, a coastal village in Thrissur districta few months ago.Intermediaries had supplied this toxic material under the guise of regular soil to landowners for filling plots.

Densely populated

In wards 18 and 19 of Eriyad, wetlands, ponds and canals covering around one acre had allegedly been filled with the material, when the environmental impact of the process came to the fore. The affected area is densely populated and the dumping of chemical-laced soil at the site had left residents deeply worried about its impact on their surroundings and livelihoods.

The Collector initially ordered the removal of the soil from the site, to no avail. Many rounds of meetings were held by the RDO involving the panchayat and the local people. The landowners subsequently agreed to facilitate the soil’s removal. However, Valluran Transports and Supreme Air Products, which were involved in supplying the soil, maintained that they had no role in the contamination. The RDO made it clear that they could not evade responsibility and the two firms later agreed to provide machinery and vehicles for the removal.

The RDO also directed the police to seize vehicles that fail to cooperate with the removal process and use them for transporting the contaminated soil, if statements from the landowners and other parties establish their involvement.

Now, the removal is being carried out under the supervision of the Eriyad panchayat secretary, village officer, representatives of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and the police. The contaminated soil will be transported to land owned by Binani Zinc in Ernakulam, from where the material was brought to Eriyad. The PCB had earlier collected samples from the affected sites and, following its test results, directed that the contaminated soil be removed immediately.

More to be removed

PCB officials have instructed that soil be removed from a greater depth than already excavated. The panchayat secretary will issue the required passes, while police stations along the transportation route will be alerted to ensure that the contaminated material is not diverted elsewhere. Police patrols have also been planned.

The decision to remove the material is expected to bring an end to the months-long uncertainty and agitation in the area.