KOCHI: The Kochi Water Metro service on the Vyttila-Kakkanad route was disrupted on Tuesday as the propeller of one of the barges of Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) got stuck due to aquatic weed, blocking the route. The techies and office goers at the Infopark, Kakkanad, were the most affected due to the incident.
The barge was unable to move and got stuck throughout the day, raising doubts about the resumption of the water metro service on Wednesday too. “Until it’s pulled out of the way, the water metro service cannot be operated. Efforts are being made to pull the barge out of the way,” said an official with Kochi Water Metro.
Till 7 pm on Tuesday, the barge was stuck on the water body and could not be shifted, and there is no clarity on when it will be removed. “If we are not able to clear the barge, the service will be disrupted on Wednesday also,” the official said. Due to the heavy rain, the water body is filled with water hyacinths, causing difficulty in the easy movement of vessels. The barge was returning after carrying raw phosphate. It is operated by Kerala Shipping & Inland Navigation Corporation Ltd. (KSINC). “The waterway is filled with water hyacinth and duckweed, which got stuck on the propeller of the barge. The incident has also affected the movement of other barges from Eroor and Thykoodam,” said an official with FACT.
This situation affected regular commuters on the route, particularly IT goers. “I travel for work by water metro on most days. However, after reaching the terminal in Vyttila, I got the information that there was no service. It would have been good if the authorities could inform us through their social media pages,” said Sheril Mathew, an IT professional.
There has been a constant request to the Irrigation Department to clear the water pollutant from the Kadambrarayar bund. “Now that Kochi Water Metro is also operating its service regularly on the route, the channel needs to be free from these water hyacinths, and regular cleaning is required,” said an official with the Kochi Water Metro.