Complaints have been filed about the alleged destruction of mangroves for the STP near Sarovaram

Sarovaram Bio Park, Kozhikode | Photo credit: K. Ragesh

Opposition is mounting against a proposed sewage treatment plant (WTP) near the Sarovaram Biopark, with activists saying its construction is destroying mangroves and degrading wetlands. The protesters are urging the authorities to stop the work immediately and carry out a comprehensive environmental impact assessment.

The Kozhikode-based Pouravakasha Samrakshana Samithi has filed complaints in this matter with various government departments. According to the complaint filed by committee chairman Satheesh Parannur, an on-site inspection revealed remains and pneumatophores (respiratory or pencil roots) of Avicennia officinalis (a species of mangrove locally known as Uppootha) along with stagnant brackish water. The complaint states that there is clear evidence that trees and vegetation were uprooted using a JCB and that the area was then backfilled with soil. Several rare plant species were also reportedly destroyed.

Mr Parannur said mangrove ecosystems are classified as ecologically sensitive areas and fall under the CRZ-I category under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification 2011. Construction activities such as STPs and land reclamation are prohibited in CRZ-I areas, he said.

The committee further alleged that these activities were in flagrant violation of the Kerala Paddy Land and Wetlands Conservation Act, 2008, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the National Green Tribunal Order.

The complaint also alleges that an official from the program unit of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) certified that the site was not a wetland and thereby facilitated the construction of the STP.

Complaints were submitted to the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA), Forest Department, Kozhikode District Collector, State Wetlands Authority of Kerala (SWAK), Kerala State Pollution Control Board, Kozhikode Municipal Corporation and the Chief Secretary of Kerala.

The Committee requests that the KCZMA and the Forestry Department immediately conduct a joint inspection of the site and inform the petitioner in advance so that he can participate in the inspection. It has also asked for a temporary memorandum to stop construction activities until the status of the CRZ in the locality is clarified. The committee further demanded legal action against those responsible for the alleged environmental damage and restoration of the destroyed wetland and mangrove ecosystem at the expense of KWA.

Photos and videos from the website were submitted as evidence along with the complaint. In May 2026, a meeting chaired by the then District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh directed the Kozhikode Corporation to expedite follow-up procedures for the Sarovaram STP, which had already received planning permission.

Published – 13 Jun 2026 11:47 IST