The Rameswaram-Kalvathy canal has been included among the urban canals to be rejuvenated in the State under a special scheme proposed in the budget.
The budget document said urban canals had turned into carriers of sewage. New technologies need to be exploited to restore the canals to their original state along with ensuring the participation of local communities. Funds required for the project will be sourced from the World Bank-aided sanitation project, Kerala Infrastructure Investment Board (KIIFB), and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project, it said.
T.K. Ashraf, councillor representing Kalvathy Division in the Kochi Corporation, said any project for rejuvenating the canal would not be possible without the earnest support of local residents. “The canal had turned into a dumping ground, and it is filled with waste and sewage. The width of the canal had narrowed in various spots owing to increased human interference,” he added.
K.J. Sohan, former Mayor, said the ecosystem had been badly affected by the illegal discharge of sewage into the canal. “It is a low-lying region, and septage flows out of septic tanks into the canal. Its restoration requires considerable funding, and a long-term plan is necessary to ensure its ecological condition,” he added.
The special scheme proposed in the budget is expected to include major canals under various corporations. Besides the Rameswaram-Kalvathy canal, other waterbodies listed in the document include Amayizhanchan thodu in Thiruvananthapuram and Kappithodu in Alappuzha.
