The Kozhikode District Panchayat has proposed a ₹1.75-crore project for the rejuvenation of the dying Mampuzha river. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting here on Wednesday.
The project will be implemented by the district panchayat, the Kozhikode and Kunnamangalam block panchayats and Olavanna, Peruvayal and Perumanna grama panchayats. Pollution is rampant in the river and its flow is blocked by plastic waste and algae.
District Panchayat President Babu Parassery said that steps would be taken to clear the waste and silt and restore its natural flow. The rejuvenation work would cover a 20-km distance from Kuttikkattoor, from where it originated, to Kaduppini, where it joined the Kallai river. The grama panchayats would build a bio-wall on the river banks as part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. River protection squads would be formed in the wards on the banks of the river. These squads, along with the river protection council, would ensure that waste was not dumped into the river henceforth.
Mr. Parassery said that the project was expected to be completed by October. A committee involving grama panchayat presidents had been formed to oversee its implementation. Various environmental organisations, students and voluntary organisations have been cleaning the river frequently.
