The waste system in Trivandrum is a bit faulty to say the least. The people do not have a scheduled waste management truck to pick up their trash once a week like we do in Pittsburgh. In fact, there used to be a garbage/compost factory in the city suburb of Vilappilsaala, but residents living close to the site complained about the rancid smell and the factory was shut down. Since then, the people of Trivandrum don’t have a public garbage disposal system. People are left with the option to burn or dump their trash somewhere illegally. You can find piles of trash on the sides of the road or in nearby streams and rivers. My project has to do with figuring out whether this unregulated system is bad for the ecosystem due to heavy metal contamination.

Along with a guide, I collected a water and sediment sample from four different stream locations in Trivandrum. I did some quick tests on site at each location. I found the temperature and the pH balance of each temperature along with the depth of the waterbody and the velocity of the water flow. Later, we sent these samples to labs to get a heavy metal analysis done. They specifically tested for lead, cadmium, copper and zinc.

I have recently received the results from the lab confirming that there was heavy metal pollution in our samples. We predicted this result, but nevertheless it is disappointing. I am beginning to write up my lab report and we will post it online for this information to spread. I am also going to include suggestions in my report in how the state government can help in this crisis. There are no ores for the tested heavy metals in Kerala, so the contamination must originate from something outside of the city. The contaminants could likely come from the waste floating around the waters and sitting on the streets. It’s important that the government does its best to identify what is causing this heavy metal pollution in the waters and try to remove those factors. I hope that my report will give them more insight to identify the problem.

Thank you so much Mr. Parkin, Ms. Lau and the Parkin Committee for helping me do this project.