THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Flooding has once again become a daily affair at Thampanoor with the district receiving heavy rain for the past two weeks. Draining out water to the canals in the region took several hours these past few days, not because of the rain, but because of the clogging of the Amayizhanjan canal which had been in a sorry state for so long. Neither the city corporation nor the minor irrigation department has taken up the cleaning of the canal properly. As a result, Thampanoor witnesses flash floods regularly.
Though a cleaning drive of the Amazhinjan canal was carried out in 2019, it again got clogged with waste materials, deterring the smooth flow of water through the drain. Meanwhile, as per officials, the canal belonging to several departments is the real issue.
Corporation secretary Binu Francis said, “The cleaning of 1,600 drains, small and large ones, is in progress as part of a pre-monsoon cleaning drive. The cleaning of the Amayizhanjan canal under the corporation is also in full swing. However, the flooding at Thampanoor is caused due to the clogging of the canal tunnel under the railway lines at the Thampanoor Central railway station. Also, the cleaning work under the minor irrigation department, under which major portions of the canal comes, is stuck midway due to a lack of funds.”
A meeting called by the district collector recently took up the matter, and it will be resolved, said Binu. “The railway department will also take part in the cleaning by removing the silt in the canal that passes under the railway station,” Binu said. Health standing committee chairperson P Jameela Sreedharan said trash booms are being placed at various locations of the canal near Thampanoor to ensure proper drainage of rainwater.
A meeting, chaired by District Collector Geromic George, on Monday discussed the status of the pre-monsoon cleaning drive. According to the collector, the district administration is taking up the pre-monsoon cleaning drive on a war-foot basis. “We will ensure the complete desiltation of canals under the major and minor irrigation departments, and the corporation as well as the cleaning of drains before the onset of the Southwest monsoon,” he said.
Phase 2 of Operation Anantha likely soon
District Collector Geromic George has hinted at the possibility of the implementation of Operation Anantha’s second phase soon. The project was initiated eight years ago during the tenure of former chief secretary Jiji Thomson. Though the project’s first phase was properly implemented, it faced severe backlash due to clearing out encroachments on the canal.
As the landowners went to court against the officials, the implementation of the second phase got delayed. Drains with a length of 30km to 33km were cleaned efficiently in the first phase. However, the efforts didn’t reap any results as waste materials were continuously being dumped in the canal
The collector said the district administration will take up the cleaning of the canal once the court stay orders are vacated. “The places where there is no stay on cleaning, we will take up efforts to clear the drainage and restore the canal system,” he told TNIE.
Cleaning on war-foot
1,600 drains’ cleaning in progress as part of the pre-monsoon cleaning drive
Flooding at Thampanoor due to clogging of canal tunnel under railway lines at Thampanoor Central rly station, says corp secy