Amayizhanchan canal cleaning in full swing, Corp begins waste segregation
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The corporation has started segregating non-bio-degradable waste accumulated in the Amayizhanjan canal jointly with Plastic Fixture, an NGO. The project, being implemented in association with the minor irrigation department, is part of the corporation’s two-year-old action plan to clean the canal.
The minor irrigation department is in charge of the cleaning work in the canal, said a corporation official. The department started the work in January this year. Recently, the corporation also joined the drive to segregate silt from plastic waste at its 2.5-acre land at Putharikandam Ground at East Fort.
According to sources, the canal has been clogged for years due to accumulation of waste. This also slowed the department’s cleaning drive, which found it hard to segregate the waste. That is when the NGO came forward voluntarily.
The corporation has also placed trash booms to segregate the waste with the help of the District Suchitwa Mission. “The work is progressing well. However, the major cleaning work is carried out under the aegis of the minor irrigation department. The NGO, which is segregating the waste, will also recycle it,” said Binu Francis, corporation secretary.
According to an official with the health wing of the corporation, waste segregation will reduce the risk of vector-borne diseases. “The main reason for floods at East Fort, Karimadom colony, Thampanoor and S S Kovil road is the clogging of Amayizhanjan canal. Cleaning the canal and segregating the waste is the need of the hour,” the official said.
Rectification works in limbo
Meanwhile, cleaning at the Sreekanteswaram-Thakaraparambu area has been stalled after the retaining wall on either side of the canal collapsed. The debris of the wall and frequent dumping of waste in the area has blocked the canal which may lead to flooding. Earlier, a corporation official said a meeting will be convened with the irrigation department to rectify the situation.
According to sources at the irrigation department, the project envisaged two years ago, is yet to begin. The special project, which also includes the construction of the wall, is estimated to cost Rs 25 crore. Cleaning work from Kannammoola to Akkulam Lake comes under the special project, which also involves the construction of retaining walls to prevent flooding.
Earlier, the city corporation had launched a project to clean the Amayizhanjan canal near the Central railway station in Thampanoor. But no lasting solution has been proposed by any authority to restore the internal canal network of the city, which has been garbage-ridden for several years. Currently, the waterbody is clogged to the brim with garbage, including used masks and gloves.
The corporation had planned to carry out a cleaning activity from Pattoor to Kannammoola at an estimated cost of `2 crore. But it is yet to be implemented. Though the corporation had also appointed two manual labourers to clear the waste, nothing turned positive.
Seven years ago, a major cleaning drive was carried out in the canal as part of Operation Anantha. However, the efforts didn’t reap results as household and other kinds of waste were continuously being thrown into the canal, gradually turning it into a dump yard.