Campaign to save the Iruvanjhi river

CWRDM launches pilot project in select schools in Kozhikode

‘My River My Life,’ a programme conceived by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) as part of its pilot project aimed at ensuring the protection and improving the water quality of Iruvanjhipuzha in the district has been launched at the Sacred Heart HSS Thiruvambadi in Kozhikode.

The main thrust of the project, being undertaken with the help of local bodies, educational institutions, socio-cultural organisations and environmental forums, is to ensure the quality of the water in a sustainable way with the support and participation of people residing on the banks of the river, said Madhavan Komath, CWRDM scientist, who is leading the project.

12 schools selected

As many as 12 schools, two each from six panchayats through which the river runs before it joins Chaliyar, have been selected for the ‘My River My Life,’ programme. Students from these schools will be given special awareness sessions on the protection of rivers, training programme on checking the quality of water and measures to be adopted to safeguard them from pollution. The programme according to Dr. Komath has been already started in nine of the 12 schools. “It will be launched shortly in rest of the schools,” he said.

A mobile laboratory with all modern facilities to check the quality of water will be taken to the school as part of the programme.

According to Dr. Komath, besides issuing individual kits to students for checking the water quality, the scientists will also demonstrate various aspects of water quality to the students from the mobile lab. “Students will also be given tips on how to improve the water quality during the session,” he said. The main objective of this programme is to educate and empower the student community about the importance of the protection and conservation of river, he added.

Different activities including the planting of bamboo saplings aimed at preventing soil erosion on the banks, had been undertaken at select spots in the initial phase of the project. Recently, a preliminary study conducted by the CWRDM had indicated that the quality of the river water had deteriorated significantly and its width reduced considerably at various locations for different reasons.

A number of drinking water schemes are located on both sides of the 30 km-long river. Silting, accumulation of sludge, encroachment and dumping of garbage were slowly killing the river.

“The project will seek a comprehensive solution for all these problems,” he said.