Thiruvananthapuram: Clogged Amayizhanchan canal brings operation Anantha into focus

Launched during the second Oommen Chandy-led UDF government, Operation Anantha 1 resolved the infamous flooding issue that plagued the Thampanoor region.

NDRF personnel clean the head of a scuba diver after he emerged from the garbage-filled Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram  Photo | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In 2015, Operation Anantha was launched to find a permanent solution to water logging in the capital, especially cleaning up Amayizhanchan canal.

Now, the disappearance of sanitation worker N Joy on Saturday has highlighted the need for a massive cleaning of the canal, which is filled with garbage at several sections owing to unchecked dumping of waste over the years and encroachments on the canal.

Launched during the second Oommen Chandy-led UDF government, Operation Anantha 1 resolved the infamous flooding issue that plagued the Thampanoor region.

Then chief secretary Jiji Thomson and Thiruvananthapuram district collector Biju Prabhakar (now KSEB CMD), the architects of the project, repeatedly urged the authorities concerned to conduct follow-up operations, but to no avail.

“It’s unfortunate a blame game is on between the Thiruvananthapuram corporation and Southern Railway. What I do not understand is, that if the railways was affecting cleaning of the canal, the corporation should have escalated it to the chief secretary level,” said Jiji. In 2015, all stakeholders, including the Kerala Road Fund Board, Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project, the public works, irrigation, revenue and minor irrigation departments, district administration and Thiruvananthapuram corporation worked as a team.

However, now, local self-government minister M B Rajesh as well as Chief Secretary Dr V Venu are yet to visit the spot or comment on the rescue mission.

Meanwhile, Biju Prabhakar, who is familiar with Amayizhanchan canal’s flow pattern, said the sanitation worker must be submerged in the sludge at the canal itself.

“Joy must have got submerged in the sludge due to the potent gas emanating from the landfill decomposition. He went missing from the canal near the Indian Coffee House outlet. From Central Theatre road onwards, the canal goes through an open area. At the Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple point of the canal, there are several big and small pipe lines and cables which would have caused the sanitation worker to get stuck there. Since he has not reached there, he must be submerged in the sludge,” said Biju.