Ambivalent authorities
Earlier this year, there was public outcry in Plachimada following a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 4 report that alleged the presence of toxic heavy metals in the sludge supplied to farmers as fertiliser by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited (HCBPL). The Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) tested the waste products from HCBPL's local plant in August 2003 and found that the levels of cadmium and lead were indeed very high.
However, on September 29, PCB member secretary K V Indulal came up with another report which said that the water in the neighbouring wells and the land where the sludge was applied as manure were "not contaminated with heavy metals'. Indulal said: "We are not in a position to explain the variation in different analyses, and have sought the Central Pollution Control Board's assistance.'
The Perumatty Grama Panchayat quoted a number of reports to support its contention that sludge from the plant had contaminated the area's soil and water. But HCBPL claims in a press release: "(The sludge) is generated as a by-product of treating effluent water. The biological load is mainly from sugar syrup slippage and it is totally digested. This was also analysed by the KSPCB-approved Poluchem Laboratories, Kochi, and (it has) certified that (the waste) does not contain any toxins....'
| Fluctuating values | | Study commissioned by | Month* | Findings** | | BBC | July | Detailed testing of samples from plot near Coke plant showed sludge containing 100 milligrammes per kilogramme (mg/kg) dry weight of cadmium | | KSPCB | January | Analysis failed to detect toxins | | August | Tests conducted in the area found 201.8 mg/kg of cadmium in sludge | | September | Cadmium was found to be well within allowable levels at 36.5 mg/kg of dry weight | | Coca-Cola | August | Sludge samples from Palakkad plant were found to have cadmium "well below permissible limits'. | | *Data pertains to 2003; **WHO's permissible limit for cadmium is 50 mg/kg of dry weight | |
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