70 and counting, abandoned quarries continue to pose safety threats in Kerala’s Ernakulam district

The Parakkadavu pond formed at an abandoned quarry at Irumpanam near Thripunithura. | Photo Credit: G. Ragesh Nearly one kilometre from Seaport-Airport Road, along Irumpanam-Eroor Road lies a vast pond, almost hidden from public view. Surrounded by green, overgrown flora and filled with deep stagnant water, the pond masks one of the oldest stone quarries in the district.The Parakkadavu pond, as the waterbody is known among local people, is one of the nearly 70 abandoned quarries identified in the district by the authorities. With a compound wall covering it only partially, the pit lake exposes safety concerns over the many such formations in the district.“Mining had stopped over 40 years ago at the site. Earlier, people used to take bath and wash their clothes in the pond. Nowadays, nobody