Human waste dumping irks devotees

Tantri Kandararu Maheswaru performs rituals as part of Uchapooja. 

The journey to Sabarimala is arduous. Though it doesn’t stop the devotees from coming to the holy shrine, stinking smell of human waste dumped at Appachimedu is making their life miserable.
The human waste from the toilets dumped in the forest areas along the stretch near Appachimedu reaches Kochu Pampa and Kallar, the tributaries of the holy Pampa.
Devotees and shop owners near Appachimedu complain that they can’t bear the foul-smell of the human excreta which is dumped in the forest. The devotees, particularly, stuck in long queus, are the most affected lot.
“I had to stand in the queue for over one hour. It was a horrible experience”, said, Swaninatham, a devotee from Kayamkulam.
Shop owners blamed the Devaswam for dumping the waste openly in the forest. "It not only creates problems for devotees and shop owners like me but also pollute the forest and Pampa river", said Thankappan, who is running a shop near Appachimedu However, the authorities say they follow strict measures in this case.
“No reports were heard about this. The waste is dumped into the pits dug in the forest land and these pits are covered once full. So, there’s no question of human waste polluting the river,” said Vijayamohanan, Assistant Engineer (Maramath) Pampa.