Thiruvananthapuram’s water woes are slightly different. It is not exactly about a lack of water supply. Trivians share an emotional bond with their water sources and have long identified them as part of their heritage and legacy.
“We remember the times when we could directly take mouthfuls from this waterbody,” says Salma P, who lives close to the Parvathy Puthanar in the Vallakkadavu area.
The stretch of the Killiyar from PRS Hospital to the Government Homeo Medical College is also remembered as a beautiful pathway lined with vegetation, offering the feel of a quaint walkway. “Please take a walk near the place now. The umpteen workshops that have come up there have encroached on the banks of the water body. Add to this the dumping of waste,” says Hari Renganathan, a nature lover and member of a city-based walkers’ group.
So, when ponds and lakes in the city are now stink houses rather than waterways, drinking water sources, or even spaces of mesmerising beauty, water woes here become a bane of the times — caused by a population boom and a total lack of a scientific approach to managing the city’s water wealth.
The reservoirs here include natural sources, man-made ones, and temple ponds such as Padmatheertham, the expansive Srivaraham Kulam, and the quaint Mitranandapuram pond. An official count places the number at 2 lakes, 5 rivers, 261 ponds, and over 50,000 wells within corporation limits.
Of this, the number of ponds has dwindled over the past 50 years. Many have been levelled, like the one at Muttada, over which a multi-storey building now stands.
“There are many ponds which are part of the city’s legacy but are now either dumping grounds for waste materials or enclosures where waste from nearby homes and shops is let in,” says history researcher and writer Uma Maheshwari.
“I would also blame the indiscriminate boom of roadside food outlets for this. These shops do not have a proper waste disposal mechanism, and their daily leftovers are either dumped near water sources or let into stormwater drains.”
The draining of waste into water sources continues unabated despite several plans and projects, including the recent ‘Thelineezhorukkum Nava Keralam’ launched by the state.
“We have an example in Ponnumangalam Thodu, which drains into the Vellayani Lake. Slaughterhouse waste and sewage form the effluent here, which travels into the Vellayani Lake through points from where water was once used for agriculture,” says Biju Chinnathil, a resident and member of the Ponnumangalam Karshika Jalashaya Samrakshana Samiti.
“The contamination has hit farming in a big way, but graver are the issues emanating from the draining of this stream into a drinking water source.”
When talking of water pollution, Amayizhanjan and Parvathy Puthanar are the most common examples cited in the city. But travel inwards, and the scene can get more grim.
“An example is the Muttar Thodu near Pappanamcode. It is situated close to the Arakath Devi shrine. It used to be a drinking water source and transport channel, with verdant vegetation around it,” says Hariharan Arakath, secretary of the Mangarathu Garden Residents’ Association.
“Please take a walk around it now. You will get disgusted by the stench. I have stopped vans that come to dump bags of waste, including animal carcasses. Old-timers still have memories of the thodu being a sweet-water source. Our complaints to the corporation went in vain earlier. Let us see if the change in administration brings any good — the deputy mayor is from this ward.”
Townplanning expert Anilkumar Pandala calls for strict enforcement of the laws that are already in place. “First, stop the dumping of domestic or commercial waste into stormwater drains and water sources. Maintain strict vigil, and penalise heavily those who do it. This will create deterrence,” he says.
“Along with this, innovative alternatives for waste disposal and management should be introduced, so that people are not forced to default. This has to be done on a war footing.”
Mayor V V Rajesh asserts cleanup of waterbodies is a priority for his administration. “We do not want to take hurried cosmetic action. We will soon meet all the stakeholders and find lasting solutions,” he says.
“First, we have to stop the flow of effluents into water sources. Then follow-up with regular deweeding and cleanup drives. This is indeed our priority.”