THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been three years since the much-hyped project to rejuvenate the Parvathy Puthanar canal was launched. Because of the lack of coordination between various agencies, including city corp, Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department and Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd, the project remains unfinished
The Parvathy Puthanar canal was constructed in the 18th century as part of the West Coast Canal Project (WCCP), the main arterial waterway in the state extending from Kovalam in the south to Bekal in the north. Despite the cleaning drive launched by Kerala Waterways Infrastructure (KWIL) – a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) and the state government – in 2017, the canal continues to reek of rotten water weed, garbage and poultry waste. Recently, the State Human Rights Commission pulled up the Inland navigation department for not fencing the canal for preventing garbage from getting dumped. Activist Ragam Rahim, who approached the commission, blames improper drainage and sewer systems.
“According to the document, the government has allotted a huge sum for rejuvenating the canal. But there has been no visible change in the last three years. The authorities and the changing governments have failed to put an end to the rampant pollution happening in the canal. Hospitals, private institutions and those living on the encroached land along the canal are releasing wastewater directly to the waterbody. There is no point in launching rejuvenation projects without providing a proper sewer system to channelthis dirt,” said Ragam Rahim, who is also a resident of the area.
He adds that the lack of political will is stalling the removal of encroachments. “The governments, irrespective of their political affiliations, are not very keen on reclaiming the land. They don’t want to make enemies,” he added.
Proposal for KIIFB funding remains on paper
It’s been almost a year since KWIL placed a proposal to KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) for funding the project that rejuvenates and makes the 18.5km stretch from Kovalam to Akkulam navigable. The initial proposal was worth Rs 150 crore. But later, after the vetting procedure, many components were excluded from the project proposal. “KIIFB is yet to give approval for the project or release the funding.
We have revised the proposal multiple times but KIIFB keeps putting up more queries. For phase I and phase II of the cleaning and deepening expenses, CIAL has given around Rs 1.3 crore,” said an official of KWIL, who claimed the rejuvenation work was not stalled. “There are a couple of blockages on the stretch which have to be removed to ensure the flow of water necessary for operating our cleaning machinery,” the official added. The official said that the civic body took no step to install CCTVs or put up hoardings to prevent dumping of waste and further pollution.
Human rights commission seeks report from navigation dept
An official of the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation Department said that the state Human Rights Commission has demanded a report seeking the reason for not fencing the canal. “We cannot put up fencing because the boundaries are not yet marked. Even if we construct fencing now, we will have to reconstruct it later,” said the official.