Assessment of industrial impacts on environment: case study of Greater Cochin development area

Abstract

Kochi also known as Cochin is a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea and is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city of Cochin (pop. 601,574) is the most densely populated city in the state and is part of an extended metropolitan region (pop. 2.1 million), which is the largest urban agglomeration in Kerala. Cochin ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala. Which means Cochin is developing at a fast face but the environment is getting degraded along with it. The thesis begins with study through desktop sources, various environmental pollutants and about their environmental effects, including that on human health. The study then proceeds with representation of five years of environmental monitoring data procured from Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). The trend in terms of their levels is studied. The next step is to identify the most critical areas with respect to environmental pollution due to industrial activities within GCDA..The final outcome of the study is to find out causes of environmental impacts due to industrial activities and to propose suitable planning interventions to mitigate them.