THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Amayizhanchan canal -- a 5.40km-long canal originating from the heart of the city and ending at Akkulam Lake -- has remained an infamous sewer that carries tonnes of waste generated in the city. Illegal waste haulers dumping garbage in the canal and water bodies, and traders and other commercial establishments releasing sewage directly into the drains are the primary causes for the unabated pollution in the canal.
Since the closure of the Vilappilsala waste treatment plant, successive governments and corporation councils have failed to bring a permanent solution to address the issue. The garbage generated by the floating population and bulk waste generators is leading to illegal waste collection in water bodies.
Trivandrum City generates around 450 tonnes of waste every day.
The recent cleaning mishap at the canal passing underneath the railway lines at the Central Railway Station that claimed a life highlights the failures of various departments, including the City Corporation, district administration, irrigation department and the Indian Railways.
Former Thiruvananthapuram district collector Biju Prabhakar, who spearheaded Operation Anantha (a flood mitigation project initiated by the District Disaster Management Authority) blamed the illegal service providers and ‘garbage mafia’ for the unabated pollution happening at the canal.
“Traders, illegal waste pickers, and establishments on the banks of the canal are dumping garbage into it. The only way out is to cover this stretch and we have officially placed a proposal for this. This is a very successful model implemented in many other places including foreign countries. They use equipment and machinery to clean up these covered canals. Since we cannot change the people’s attitude, this is the only effective and practical solution,” he said.
Experts are suggesting comprehensive auditing along the banks of the water bodies to prevent pollution and waste dumping.
“Polluters are dumping tonnes of garbage into water bodies. Many hospitals are also directly dumping waste into the canal. Even medical waste is being dumped into Akkulam Lake. There are also various encroachments along the canal. A comprehensive auditing should be undertaken to identify such institutions and they all should be penalised,” said Shibu K N, regional campaigner, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).
He said that the Indian Railways lacks waste management facilities and the entire wastewater from cleaning the platforms and drains is directly released to the canal causing heavy environmental pollution. The former head of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), K G Thara, said that authorities should take strict action against violators so that such grave offences are never repeated.
“It’s our duty to ensure that the waste generated is disposed of responsibly,” said Thara.
She added that the DDMA has a key role to play in ensuring the coordination between the departments for pre-monsoon sanitation drives.
“Ensuring the safety of the sanitation workers was the responsibility of the Southern Railways. Without any safety gear they let the worker enter into the canal,” she said.
‘Garbage mafia’ blamed
Former T’Puram district collector Biju Prabhakar, who spearheaded Operation Anantha, blamed the ‘garbage mafia’ for the pollution in the Amayizhanchan canal
Experts are suggesting comprehensive auditing along the banks of the water bodies to prevent pollution
