Chittoor - The 'Acid Village' at Kollam where toxic waste pollute lives

Acid Gramam | ആസിഡ് ഗ്രാമം Panmana village of the Chavara block panchayat in Kerala's Kollam district has been claimed by deadly chemicals which have spread in all its wards-Ponmana, Mekkad and Chittoor. The toxic effluents from the government-owned Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML) plant in Chavara have had a free run ever since the factory was set up in 1984, when it began dumping deadly waste into a patch of ground within its premises. Today, that little toxic spot has spread to cover the entire village. The iron-oxide sludge mixed with acid and heavy metals has been leaking from the old effluent ponds, where it had been accumulating for decades, causing cancer and skin diseases. The plant produces titanium dioxide from ilmenite, a mineral abundantly present in the black sand of the region known as the Chavara belt. The canals which once had crystal-clear water are now overflowing with foaming waste. Domestic wells and ponds have been run over by pale effluents. The vegetation has been nearly wiped out. Panmana, once a green patch by the sea, is a picture of industrial apocalypse. Subscribe to #ManoramaOnline Youtube Channel : https://goo.gl/bii1Fe Follow Manorama Online here: Facebook :   / manoramaonline   Twitter :   / manoramaonline   Instagram :   / manoramaonline   To Stay Updated, Download #ManoramaOnline Mobile Apps : http://bit.ly/2KOZrc8