KOCHI: Amici curiae report submitted in the High Court reveals that the systems that have been put in place by the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, the Southern Railway and the irrigation department for the management of waste and maintenance of the canal, as they stand, are grossly deficient and ineffective.
The area where the canal flows under the railway premises is prone to clogging because of siltation and accumulation of waste. This area requires specific attention and needs to be de-silted at regular intervals to ensure smooth flow of water. The waste collected by the corporation and Southern Railway must be quantified and tracked till its final destination, to ensure that the same does not re-enter the stream, said the report.
The report of the amici curiae about the waste management system in Thiruvananthapuram city also suggested that the corporation must take immediate steps to identify all garbage-vulnerable points, especially along all canal and drainage systems, and prevent dumping of waste. The irrigation department must plan and undertake an operation, akin to ‘Operation Anantha’, in association with the corporation, the Southern Railway and other stakeholders.
The dumping of waste into the canal near Bakery Junction needs to be prevented by all means, by undertaking necessary steps for effective surveillance including, but not limited to, installing CCTV cameras, policing, and suitable punitive action against violators. If CCTV cameras are installed, the same should be monitored frequently and the violators should be booked, with the assistance of the police and motor vehicle department. Vehicles, if any, used for unauthorised transportation of waste should be impounded, following the law. Routine canal cleaning drives should be undertaken by the corporation for the removal of waste as well as de-siltation.
The report further suggested that the portion of the canal flowing through Rajaji Nagar requires special attention. The fencing on the sides of the canal needs to be reinforced. The area should be subjected to frequent inspections and surveillance, to ensure that no waste is dumped into the canal. If required, the assistance of the police needs to be extended to the corporation and the irrigation department.
The corporation must immediately invest in the edification of the residents of the Chenkalchoola colony as regards the issue of waste entering the canal. Steps should also have to be taken to ensure that the waste from outside the colony is not brought into the colony and dumped in the canal or elsewhere.
According to the amici curiae, if the trash booms and the gratings placed in the canals are to be effective, no waste material should be allowed to pass through them.
The “sacrificial allowance” for the trash-boom should be kept at a minimum. The corporation may explore the deployment of more than one trash boom sequentially. The iron gratings should not be opened at all. In case they are required to be opened, the accumulated waste should be removed and alternative mechanisms should be put in place to prevent the waste flowing downstream when the gratings are removed for maintenance. The objective should be to ensure that the waste does not reach the area under the railway premises.
The Southern Railway, as a bulk waste generator, must put in place a proper functional in-house system for handling and management of solid waste, irrespective of the facilities provided by the corporation, the report said.