The Friends of Bharathapuzha (FOB), an organisation working towards the conservation of the Bharathapuzha and its tributaries in Palakkad, began a clean-up drive at Kalpathy on Wednesday.
The Kalpathy river, one of the tributaries of the Bharathapuzha, has been in a bad condition with tonnes of waste dumped into it behind Kalpathy and Chathapuram agraharams.
About 100 bagfuls of plastic waste were collected on the first day’s drive. “We are planning to intensify the clean-up drive in the next three days by employing more workerforce and bringing in more equipment,” said V.L. Natarajan, a senior member of the FOB.
With Metroman E. Sreedharan as its president, the FOB has been focusing on clean-up drives at different places in recent months. It recently conducted a mass run for the river conservation by joining hands with the Fort Runners of Palakkad.
The Kalpathy river that runs between Govindapuram and Kalpathy was cleaned under the aegis of Palakkad Municipality last week. However, the FOB took up the worst part of the 400-m stretch between Puthiyapalam and Kalpathy where heaps of waste had accumulated.
An elephant being maintained in a compound adjacent to the river at Old Kalpathy and the kitchen of a private catering company had been identified as the biggest pollutants. People who walk along the promenade say the residents of Kalpathy and Chathapuram are primarily responsible for the heaps of waste.
Mr. Natarajan said the FOB had held discussions with different stakeholders, including municipal authorities and the people of Kalpathy, for the upkeep of the riverbanks. The Irrigation department has reportedly offered to build a bio-fencing at Kalpathy by planting reeds and trees.
The walkway behind Kalpathy and Chathapuram constructed by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) in 2003 was broken at several places. Visitors choosing the promenade for a leisurely walk were being turned away either by the stench of the waste or the presence of tipplers.
