THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The Killi river may have finally found its redemption. Continuing with its efforts to revive dying rivers and infuse life into them, the Haritha Kerala Mission along with various local bodies in the state capital is now coming up with a major move to revive the Killi River.
A cry to rejuvenate the river has been on for quite sometime. The Killiyar Mission, a voluntary programme aims to ensure people’s participation for rejuvenation of the river. The joint initiative is being carried out by Haritha Kerala Mission, Jalasree, Nedumangad block panchayat and Nedumnagad municipality along with Panavoor, Anad, Aruvikkara and Karakulam panchayats.
As part of protecting the river various activities are being carried out. This include cleaning of the river and various canals, constructing check dams and strengthening the boundaries by laying geotextiles and planting trees.A status report on the river has already been made by Karakulam Rural Study Centre. The NSS volunteers at Government Law College have been tasked with data collection through technical survey at 30 canals, which are tributaries of Killi River. In addition the water quality has been verified by collecting samples from at various points.
As the first concrete step to protect the river, a Killiyar Gathering was organised on Tuesday at Nedumangad. Ministers Thomas Isaac, Haritha Kerala Mission vice chairperson T N Seema and others attended the people’s convention at the Town Hall. “The initiative will be carried out with people’s participation. Various programmes are being planned in this regard,” said T N Seema.
A slew of measures are being scheduled as part of the Killyar movement. Close on the heels of the one day convention at Nedumangad on Tuesday, there will be municipal-panchayat level conventions between March 10 and 15. Following the local body conventions, regional-level peoples conventions will be held between March 15 and 25.
Puzhayarivu, an attempt to know the river will be one of the highlight. A group of five including people’s representatives, technical experts and volunteers will embark on a river walk and interact with the local residents. In addition there will be processions and marches to be organised from March 25 to 31.
A one-day cleaning campaign will be organised on the first week of April. To be attended by around 10,000 people including volunteers, government officials, people’s representatives and NREG workers, the campaign will ensure people’s participation.