THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Technopark authorities have pulled up their socks to redeem Thettiyar canal, a portion of which passes through the park’s phase-I and phase-III campuses. The authorities have floated an e-tender to build a 1-km-long, eco-friendly embankment made of coir along the canal to prevent dumping of waste into it and to keep its waste-filled water out of the park and nearby settlements during the monsoon, a problem that has been inconveniencing several residents and techies living in the area.
The canal is 10km long, of which 3km passes through the Technopark campus. Dumping of garbage in the entire stretch of the water body, which passes through some of the heavily-populated regions of Kazhakoottam, has been rampant and poses serious danger to people’s health. The alleged improper maintenance by the city corporation has added to the waste menace and health hazard.
On one hand, Kazhakoottam has been witnessing rapid development while, on the other, the condition of the canal’s water has deteriorated, from being pristine to turning dark and filthy. Though former district collector Biju Prabhakar had taken several steps to clean the canal, nothing produced the desired results. “The Technopark management under the leadership of Kerala IT parks CEO John M Thomas decided to build an embankment, or wall, made of coir along the canal. It will cover a distance of 1km in the phase-I campus. The project will be expanded to phase-III in the near future,” Madhavan Praveen, general manager (projects), Technopark, told TNIE.
He said the wall will prevent the flow of waste-laden water from the canal into the IT park. “At present, we clean the canal periodically as waste from nearby areas gets accumulated in the portion of the canal inside the park. The trouble is compounded when the waste-filled water overflows and enters the park and nearby houses following heavy rain. We will fix a metal grate at the canal’s entry point on the park campus to prevent the waste from entering,” he said. The embankment will be built at a cost of around Rs 32 lakh, said the authorities. Seeds will be sown and saplings planted along the embankment to beautify it.
Meanwhile, residents in the area said Technopark authorities should take the step keeping in mind not just the welfare of their employees, but also that of people living nearby. “Waste is being dumped into the canal, which originates near Andoorkonam and opens out into Akkulam lake, on a daily basis. Several hotels and commercial establishments in the area dump waste into it. The initiative by Technopark will benefit only the park, not us,” said Anujith S, a resident.
The portion of the canal passing through Technopark is maintained by the park while the rest falls under the city corporation’s jurisdiction. Residents alleged the civic body failed to clean the waterbody.
A corporation official told TNIE that talks would be held with Technopark authorities and councillors to devise a joint action plan.