KOCHI: Industries Minister P Rajeeve and a team from the irrigation department, including the district collector, on Saturday, visited the Muttar river, where the second phase works of Operation Vahini is under way, and reviewed the progress of the project.
“The second phase of Operation Vahini will be completed in 20 days. As part of the project, slit from the river will be removed to facilitate the flow of water into the river body during the monsoon,” said the minister.Operation Vahini was launched last year in the backdrop of the 2018–2019 flood. The project was devised to ensure the easy flow of water into the river bodies.
Phase I of the project was executed well at Rs 30 crore. “This year, Rs 4.46 crore has been allocated from the Disaster Relief Fund for the project. The second phase will facilitate water flow in 38 major water bodies in the district, including the Muttar river, Manjaly canal, Edapally canal and Kaipettipuzha canal,” said Rajeeve.
The activities in the Muttar river started on Friday. A total of 12 machines have been deployed to remove the silt and other works. As part of the project, the flow of water through the backwaters in Vypeen will also be facilitated.
In the first phase of the project, silt and waste were removed from as many as 179 canals leading to the Periyar and the Muvattupuzha rivers. As a result, during the last monsoon, despite the shutters of several dams being opened, the water level in the Periyar did not reach a dangerous level. It was noted that the project helped reduce flooding in areas near the river.
