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Eloor Residents Choke on Toxic Fumes Daily
29 Jan
Summary
- Residents suffer respiratory issues from pungent industrial odors.
- Air quality monitoring station has been non-functional since February 2025.
- Environmental study found extremely high non-compliant odor threshold levels.
Residents in Ernakulam's Eloor-Edayar industrial area face persistent health issues due to toxic air pollution and strong industrial odors. Umaira, a resident, describes gasping for breath as pungent smells emanate from the Edayar industrial zone across the Periyar river. Her family and neighbors have experienced worsened air quality over the past decade.
Concerns are mounting as the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station, crucial for public access to air quality data, has been non-functional since its annual maintenance contract expired in February 2025. A 2022 study by the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology revealed alarming non-compliant odor threshold levels in some industrial units.
Health workers note that many residents suffer from respiratory issues, exacerbated by fine black particles. While PCB authorities claim odor control measures are largely functional, residents and environmentalists dispute this, citing ongoing severe stench and violations of environmental norms, including recent instances of waste dumping near the Periyar river.
