This story is from August 20, 2019

Dumping of waste in Parvathy Puthanar continues unabated

The mission to clean and revamp Parvathy Puthanar, which has already cost more than Rs 1 crore, seems to be far from attaining its objective of turning it into a fully navigable channel. This is mainly due to unregulated dumping of waste into the waterbody.
Dumping of waste in Parvathy Puthanar continues unabated
Parvathy Puthanar
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The mission to clean and revamp Parvathy Puthanar, which has already cost more than Rs 1 crore, seems to be far from attaining its objective of turning it into a fully navigable channel. This is mainly due to unregulated dumping of waste into the waterbody.
The latest incidence of tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran being forced to abort a boat trip along the canal as the propeller continued to get tangled in sacks of poultry waste has aggravated concerns over the ongoing project.

Around 2,000 tonnes of accumulated silt and trash had to be removed from Parvathy Puthanar in the past five months to increase the depth of the canal by 1.5 metres as part of the ongoing project to re-establish the navigational channel between Kovalam and Akkulam. Kerala waterways and infrastructure limited (KWIL), the executing body, undertook the task by transporting 500 loads from the canal between Akkulam and Vallakadavu with each truck carrying approximately four tonnes of silt. The water weeds had been removed by deploying 30 mini-trucks. The weeds were dumped on the banks to let it dry and lose moisture so that it could be easily transported to the designated dumping yard.
KWIL has made use of the most advanced machinery like silt pusher, shredder machine and amphibious harvester to deal with different kinds of waste that had to be cleared from the canal. The amphibious harvester was mainly used to remove the water weeds and water hyacinth. The canal needs to be cleaned for a distance of 18.5 kilometres. “Already the canal has been cleaned and weeds removed twice. Still waste dumping goes unchecked. Even now, we are engaged in the process of cleaning up the banks,” a project official said.
A review meeting convened by the chief minister in June 2019 focused on nine issues to be resolved in the stretch between Kovalam and Akkulam. Two of the issues pertained to discharge of pollutants through inlet channels into Parvathy Puthanar and periodic maintenance of cleaned canal portions. It was cited that there were many inlet channels letting out waste into Parvathy Puthanar and there was a need to control water weeds, hyacinth and waste through periodic maintenance.
An official with the department of inland navigation said that they are planning to install cameras and fences along selected spots to prevent the menace of dumping of waste.
“So much investment is being put into reviving this canal. It cannot be compromised by the ill deeds of some of the miscreants. CCTV cameras are being planned in some places and we would ensure strict action against miscreants as per the latest law on water pollution. Some of the spots are frequently being used for dumping of poultry waste. Barbed wires and fencing will be ensured to curb this practice,” said an official.
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