Tiruchi Corporation has undertaken a fencing-cum-greening initiative along the embankment of Uyyakondan canal to prevent dumping of debris and encroachment.
Around 600 native tree saplings have been planted with a drip irrigation facility, on the banks of the 1,000-year-old Uyyakondan canal.
According to officials, the Corporation received complaints about encroachment on the canal banks, and as a result, they had fenced the vacant space adjoining the canal banks to grow trees.
“The stretch on Kulimikkarai Road is frequently misused by the residents who park vehicles and dump garbage there. Solid and plastic waste and other waste were getting into the aqua system thereby endangering the environment.,” a corporation official told The Hindu.
The project entails fencing about 10-feet-wide space from the bunds of the canal near Periyar Nagar, with a cost of less than ₹ 1 lakh.
To make sure the trees get enough water and nutrients, a drip irrigation method has been installed. "A drip irrigation mechanism was set up to water the 600 native tree saplings using the two nearby borewells. We will assign a worker to maintain the plantation," said an official.
The officials hope that the fenced portion and tree plantation would serve as a barrier against solid waste dumping in the irrigation canal and promote the growth of natural vegetation, emphasising that all measures would be taken to protect the ecosystem in the region.
