ALAPPUZHA: A meeting of the top officials and the scientists demanded to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment before beginning constructions under the Kuttanad Package. The Kuttanad Vikasana Samithi, the Pampad Samrakshana Samithi and the Kottayam Nature Society jointly organised the meeting here on Friday.The experts who participated in the discussion opinioned that an ecological impact study would conducted before every small construction of outer bund, or other renovation works. Otherwise, it will affect the ecology of Kuttanad. An officer above the rank of government secretary would be appointed to monitor the entire process. The Kuttanad region is under Vembanad ecosystem. Every construction in this region would be carried out after consultation with the either environmentalists or the scientists. The constructions must also be people friendly, experts said.Any failure in its implementation must be cleared at the same time. A monitoring committee will be established for the purpose. The method employed for construction of the outer bund should be suitable to that region. For the construction of smaller bunds, slurry from the canals would be used. Geotextile materials, and other methods would be used for the bund construction, they said. There must be a committee to hear the complaints of farmers at the time of construction, experts said. Pollution Control Board chairman, K Sajeevan presided over the meeting. Kuttanad Samrakshan Samithi director, Fr Thomas Peeliyanickal, scientists Ajay Varma(Environmental Study Centre), R V Varma (Bio-diversity Board), Sreekandan Nair(Environment and Climate Change Directorate), Bijoy Nanda(Cochin University of Science and Technology), A P Thomas (Water Resource Management Centre), KWA retired chief engineer T V Jacob, the Pumpa Protection Society secretary N K Sukumaran, Kerala River Protection Council secretary C A Vijaychandran P M Chacko and N V Sivasankarapillai, Mathew Koodarathil spoke on the ocassion.
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