The repeated incidents of water-logging in various areas after heavy rains have prompted the Eloor municipality in Ernakulam district to realise the importance of cleaning up the choked drains and canals in the region.
The low-lying areas, close to the Periyar River, were the most affected in the recent episodes of incessant rain. The affected areas used to face the threat of water-logging within a few hours of heavy showers. The civic body had faced challenges in cleaning up the silt and waste that had piled up in certain canals.
Also read: Rising silt deposits affect flow in Periyar
Flood control and canal rejuvenation
“We have now cleared the silt and completed the cleanup of nearly 13 kilometres of 10 canals at an estimate cost of 19 lakh. The desilting, which began in January this year, would be extended to the remaining areas without delay,” according to A. D. Sujil, chairman of the Eloor municipality.
Some of the canals that got a fresh lease of life include Panachithodu, Valiyachal thodu, Unthithodu, Kuzhikandam thodu, Amanthuruthu thodu, Kanjirakkattu thodu, Madappadu thodu, Edampadam thodu, Vattapoontholil thodu and Merchem thodu. The rejuvenation of Padam thodu, Eerezhchal thodu and Punchathodu was undertaken as part of the ‘Operation Vahini’ project by the Irrigation department.
Clean-up disrupted by rain
Mr. Sujil said that the recent heavy showers came amidst the ongoing clean-up of canals and drains. Waterlogging was experienced in areas situated close to the drains and canals in which the work had reached midway. The benefits of the government’s ‘Thelineer ozhukum puzha’ initiative will also result in removal of weeds, silt and waste in the canals, he said.
The authorities have also started work on protecting the banks of the canals by using coir geotextiles for slope stabilisation. The services of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme have been used for removing waste from the waterbodies.
