The fable of the once-successful Kallai timber industry is indelibly linked to the Kallai River.The easiest and most cost- effective mode of transporting logs from Nilambur to the timber mills, the river has been the lifeline for the business in all these decades.
With the industry now ailing, the 22-km-long river is also facing slow death, owing to pollution and largescale encroachment.“About 20 years back, the river was used for transporting timber from Nilambur and other places to Kallai.
But things have changed drastically, with large-scale dumping of sewage and waste from slaughter houses, and encroachment arresting the flow of water and threatening the very existence of the river,” said environmentalist A Achuthan.
During the golden era of the timber business in Kallai, the canal near Mankavu, linking Chaliyar and Kallai rivers, was used to transport timber.
“Though the canal still exists, a large portion of it is silted, making transportation impossible.To save the river and the canal from dying, immediate eco-restoration measures should be initiated, including the proposed dredging process.
This will result in better water flow from both the canal to the river and from the river to the sea,” he said.Officials of the Irrigation Department have said that they are now chalking out a strategy for reviving the canal and the river.