THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For years, the heavily polluted upstream reaches of Karamana river have created problems for devotees visiting Parasurama Temple at Thiruvallom to offer bali and pay respects to their forefathers. Nonetheless, little has come of the promises made by successive governments that steps will be taken to keep the environs clean.
On Thursday, the matter came up in the Assembly with a demand being made that government should adopt urgent measures to stop the dumping of wastes in the river and to keep the bathing ghat clean. Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran replied in writing that steps were indeed being taken to rid the river of pollution so as to offer devotees better sanitary conditions.
Pointing out that the government has indeed noted the pathetic condition of the river, the minister said that a Rs 88 lakh Karamana river scientific conservation scheme is underway to clean up the water body. The scheme is being implemented by the Water Resources Department, he said in a written reply to a question by O Rajagopal MLA who raised the issue in the Assembly.
The scheme, which is aimed at keeping the bathing ghat and its environs free of polluted water, consists of the following components: a weir, a pump house, slope correction works to ensure that the water does not remain stagnant and a new bathing ghat. In addition to this, the government also plans to construct more bathrooms and footpaths. To ensure better disposal of waste, a biogas plant and an incinerator also are planned, the minister said. The government will also consider the construction of a shutter on the Edayar bridge to prevent the flow of polluted water from the Parvathy-Puthanar to the bathing ghat, the minister said. The condition of the river is so dismal that in recent years, devotees think twice before they dare to take the customary dip after offering bali during the ‘Vavu Bali’.