Stinking water from a canal flowing to the Manalipuzha is posing a threat to the drinking water projects of nearby panchayats.
“Heavy rain brings waste (including toilet waste and that from butcher shops), dumped on both sides of National Highway to the river though the canal. The waste from workshops, hotels, and other private institutions too reaches the river,” local residents said.
Drinking water projects of nearby panchayats, including Thrikkur and Nenmanikkara, depend on water from the Manali river. The flow of waste water pose a threat to the residents of various areas such as Thalore, Paliyekkara, Nenmanikkara, and Thrikkur, on the bank of the river.
Stop memo
When the situation became uncontrollable last year, the Health Department asked to stop pumping of drinking water from the river. The officers gave a stop memo to the polluting private institutions. Unfortunately, the institutions are still functioning without any control even now. Tonnes of waste is being dumped on both sides of the highway every day. All this ultimately reaches the Manalipuzha with the rainwater. The authorities have not been doing anything to protect the paddy fields on both sides of the highway, allege Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad.
The large-level dumping of waste has forced many paddy farmers to stop farming on the sides of national highway. The canals, dug to bring water to the paddy fields, have now turned into drainage canals for these polluting firms.
