THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Dumping of waste in the pond at Jagathy points to how water bodies and wetlands are being landfilled for other use.This is happening when the area witnesses severe flooding after every rain.Authorities haven’t taken enough steps to protect them and agencies pass the buck, say residents
Recurring flash floods are turning into a nightmare for the residents in the capital. Low-lying areas in the city get flooded after every heavy rain, displacing families and causing the destruction of properties. Apart from spending crores of rupees on cleaning the canals and drains every year, no effort is being taken by the authorities to conserve the river banks, low-lying wetlands and ponds to give more room for stormwater.The state government has introduced the ‘Room for the River’ concept to mitigate flooding in the state but local authorities themselves are violating the government policy in the capital and landfilling waterbodies without thinking of the consequences.
The age-old pond near Pangode Market at Jagathy has almost been landfilled and many allege that the sanitation workers and illegal waste collectors are dumping the garbage in large quantities in it.Jagathy and Pangode are among the areas that face flooding. Jagathy resident 55-year-old Surendran K said the spot has turned into a dumping area. “Corporation workers bring garbage in trucks and dump it here. This has turned into a menace for us. Even slaughter waste is getting dumped here. Earlier, the pond and the surrounding area belonged to Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple and were given on lease for farming activities. According to rumours, there is a court case regarding the possession of land,” said Surendran.
Rejith K, another resident, said the area is facing severe flooding because of the conversion of wetland and paddy land. “After Thampanoor, Jagathy is one of the places that face severe flooding and we are slowly getting used to it. It’s very unfortunate that the civic authorities are turning a blind eye towards such violations. Ensuring proper disposal of waste would resolve a lot of issues,” says Rejith.
Corp yet to get possession of pond
However, Jagathy ward councillor Sheeja Madhu said the area is facing flooding because of the overflowing of the river and refuted the allegation that the civic body is dumping waste in the location. There is an ongoing dispute on the land at court. “The civic body is yet to get possession of the pond. It’s under dispute. People are dumping waste there and some private parties also dump waste here at night. After the pandemic outbreak, we have been unable to put people on duty here,” said Sheeja Madhu.
A senior official of the health wing claimed that the pond belongs to the civic body and waste is getting illegally dumped in it. “Even our sanitation workers are dumping waste there to make their job easy. Earlier, we used to deploy people on night duty to guard the place and catch violators,” said the official.
Recently, the state government allotted a whopping `25 crore to clean up and revive canals in the capital. The city corporation areas have around 450 ponds and many of them are in a deplorable state, either encroached on by private parties or a spot for dumping the garbage. Irrigation department assistant engineer Maneesh M said, “Earlier, the possession of ponds was under the department. Now, we possess only some of them. It’s high time we changed our approach and stop the construction of concrete walls for the protection of waterbodies. Biofencing or similar methods should be adopted to ensure the natural protection of ponds and river banks. Also, the protection of waterbodies should be assigned to a single agency.”
CORP COMMITTEE ALLOWS CONVERSION OF LAND: OPPN
Eco-restoration and conservation of waterbodies remain mere promises by the city corporation despite the flood threat the city faces during every heavy rain. Senior BJP councillor P Ashok Kumar alleged that ever since the new council took charge, the town planning committee has been busy giving clearance for illegal constructions. “Being a member of the committee, I have come across multiple agendas to legally clear land for construction for private parties. Wetlands and waterbodies are turning into waste dumps. We have decided to launch a protest demanding the protection of waterbodies in the capital,” said Ashok Kumar.
PONDS AND WATERBODIES TO BE REVIVED
Mayor Arya Rajendran said, “The city corporation is gearing up to launch a campaign to keep public places clean and tidy. To begin with, we have decided to strengthen door-to-door collection of dry waste. Once the collection is back on track, we will clear public dumping points in the city gradually. We are in talks with a few NGOs to effectively handle the waste. It’s the responsibility of the corporation to protect waterbodies. Thiruvananthapuram Corporation would be taking part in the Jal Jeevan programme of the Union government. The local bodies performing well would be allotted more funds and we will be utilising those funds to restore abandoned ponds in the corporation area.”