Water management specialists have suggested setting up fences on the banks of the Thevara-Perandoor canal for protecting it.
They have also called for providing sewer lines on the both flanks to prevent sewage from entering the canal. The suggestions were part of the canal restoration measures put forward by the SCMS Water Institute of the SCMS School of Engineering and Technology. They have also suggested monitoring and an enforcement mechanism to prevent dumping of waste into the canal.
The report was presented to the civic authorities on Tuesday. Mayor Soumini Jain received the report.
The recommendations for the restoration of the canal included “participatory canal management mechanism involving residents’ associations, Kudumbasree workers and other communities residing near the canal.”
Adequate water flow should be maintained in the canal so that tidal influence would have a regular impact in the system. Some of the bridges that were constructed over the canal should be reconstructed to provide vertical and horizontal clearances, it said.
Navigation obstructed
The lack of sufficient clearance for most of the bridges along the canal obstructed navigation along the route. The land, which was available on both sides of the canal, should be used for recreation purposes and for improving the beauty of the canal, it suggested.
The width of the canal was reduced on both sides of the bridges, thus leading to bottlenecks, which restricted the flow of water and obstructed inland navigation, it pointed out.
Extensive reclamation and land filling had taken place in the canal over the years. “Large residential colonies appeared in and around the canal which were once pokkali fields or marshy areas. Residential areas including Panampilly Nagar, Giri Nagar, Kumaran Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Shastri Nagar are some of the residential areas that have come up here,” the report said.
