Over 150 people volunteered on Thursday to clean up Kalpathy river, a major feeder of the Bharathapuzha and a drinking water source of Palakkad town and nearby areas.
The initiative involving police, district administration, social workers, and Kalpathy temple committee was conducted as part of the arrangements for the famous Kalpathy car festival slated for November.
During the day long initiative, volunteers have removed water hyacinths and collected dumped garbage from the river bed. Illegal sand-mining, unauthorised constructions, and water hyacinths have been killing the river which passes through the heritage village of Kalpathy before merging with the Bharathapuzha.
“Hundreds of people will arrive in Kalpathy during the car festival and they would prefer a dip in the river. Due to the low water-level they can’t take a complete dip. It was in this backdrop, we initiated the cleaning drive,” said P.N. Viswanathan, convener of the Kalpathy River Protection Forum and member of Malabar Devaswom Board.
Originating from the upper slopes of the Western Ghats like Chenthamarakkulam, north of Walayar, the river is a confluence of the streams Malampuzha, Walayar, Korayar and Varattar. Massive deforestation in the Walayar region has reduced the inflow of water to the river considerably. District Collector P. Marykutty and senior officials led the initiative.
