Collector tells HC 85% of city canal desilting work completed

The Ernakulam District Collector has informed the Kerala High Court that 85% of desilting works of the city canals have been completed.

The report was filed in a petition seeking a report from the State regarding the preparation of a permanent mechanism for the proper management of the Thevara-Perandoor Canal. The court had directed the Collector to inform the steps taken for de-clogging the canal beside the KSRTC bus stand and the Perandoor Canal, expediting the Mullassery Canal works, and repairing the drains at Madhava Pharmacy Junction, where M.G. Road branches off from Banerjee Road.

The government has sanctioned ₹5.37 crore for the completion of the remaining 175-metre stretch of the Mullassery canal. Funds have been sanctioned to the Kerala Water Authority, Kerala State Electricity Board and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to shift their utilities from the canal. The work is expected to begin after the rainy season.

The report indicated that the Thevara-Perandoor Canal was being desilted on a priority basis and that the tender procedures for carrying out the desilting work behind Udaya Colony in Vyttila have also been completed.

To mitigate flooding caused by tidal influx in the Indira Nagar area, a sluice gate with fibreglass reinforced plastic shutters has been constructed at Pandarachira by the Minor Irrigation department. These shutters will be operated and maintained by the Kochi Corporation. A joint site inspection was held last year by the Assistant Executive Engineer, Vyttila, District Collector, Amicus Curiae and residents regarding the issue of waterlogging in the area adjacent to Chilavannur backwaters.

Jetting work at 22 of 23 railway culverts in the area from Atlantis to Vaduthala has reportedly been completed by the Kochi Corporation to ensure the smooth water flow.

The railway culvert located at the junction of Ernakulam KSRTC-Mullassery Canal has also been cleaned. The desilting of the Vivekananda Canal was also completed. The Health squad has been instructed to conduct waste removal operations every two weeks, the Collector informed the court.