Date:03/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/03/stories/2008080352700300.htm

Kerala - Kochi

Periyar: new way to track pollution

G. Krishnakumar

KOCHI: The State Pollution Control Board is planning to adopt the “chemical fingerprinting” technique to find out the exact source behind the frequent discolouration of the Periyar river.

The board has sought the support of the Department of Chemical Oceanography at the Cochin University of Science and Technology to implement the plan.

Senior board officials have urged the experts to submit a detailed proposal on how to employ the technique in tracking down the source behind the discolouration of Periyar waters.

Chemical fingerprinting is a unique pattern indicating the presence of a particular molecule, based on specialised analytic techniques such as mass- or x-ray-spectroscopy, used to identify a pollutant, drug, contaminant, or other chemical in a test sample.

It describes the use of a unique chemical signature or pattern analysis to identify or distinguish different chemical sources. Chemical fingerprinting is being used as an effective way for source detection in the area of environmental forensic investigation.

Board officials said the fingerprint technique might provide information about the source of the contamination in the Periyar. The concentration of various chemicals in the river and at the source during the time of pollution can be found out clearly using the technique.

Chemical fingerprinting would also help in comparing the presence of chemicals in the receiving body (river) and at the source (for instance, the outlet of an industrial unit) in a scientific manner.

The board is ready to support the proposal for chemical fingerprinting after analysing the feasibility of the project. It is also ready to entrust the Department of Chemical Oceanography at Cochin University to conduct the study, sources said.

The board will provide technical help and other support while taking up the investigation. Senior officials said the board will consider all possibilities in detecting the source behind the discolouration of Periyar. A meeting of all stakeholders will be held in Kochi during the last week of August. The board will document the proposals evolving during this meeting while submitting a detailed report behind the pollution of the river.