KANNIYAKUMARI: Activists are calling for immediate restoration of the Kottar channel in Nagercoil city, claiming that the loss of a significant portion of the natural waterway, primarily due to encroachment along its banks, might hinder groundwater table recharge and flood mitigation in the region.
Till a few decades ago, the water channel had been the lifeline for the irrigation of several acres of farmland in Kottar region, in its stead, many residential buildings and commercial establishments have cropped up over the years, resulting in a substantial loss along the downstream of the waterway.
A distributary of Ananthanar channel, the Kottar channel — managed by the Water Resources Department (WRD) — originates at Kezha Vannanvilai in Vallankumaravilai area, flows through Kezha Charakkalvilai, Vattavilai, and Vaithianathapuram, and ends at Chettikulam region in Nagercoil.
The Kottar channel fed a few tanks in Nagercoil, irrigated farmland, and even functioned as a groundwater recharge channel, until some decades ago, said S R Sree Ram, an environmental activist and the president of Consumer Protection Association.
However, he alleged that major portions of the waterway have been encroached upon by households and influential persons, some portions having diminished into drains, and at a few sections, the local body had even laid roads. He pointed out that the loss of the waterway was among the causes for flooding in the region during heavy rains, and urged the authorities to take immediate measures to clear encroachments.
S Peer Mohamed, an 82-year-old retired college professor from Kottar, reminisced about his student days during which he had witnessed clear water gushing through the channel, with people taking bath in Vattavilai area. “Nowadays, a major portion of the waterway has disappeared,” he said.
Kodayar Irrigation System Project Committee chairman A Wins Anto said that encroachment, generally, takes place along the banks of a waterbody, but here, encroachments could be spotted on the bed of the waterway.
When contacted, WRD officials said that the encroachments along a stretch of 1.5 kilometres of the waterway were cleared a few years ago. The department has written to the state government regarding the conduct of a survey along the remaining 1.7-kilometre stretch. Speaking to TNIE, Nagercoil mayor R Mahesh said, “We are supporting the WRD in removing encroachments on the Kottar channel.”