The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has directed the Kozhikode Corporation and the Department of Irrigation to reinstate the Manchakal canal to its original form by ensuring free flow of water in it. The commission has asked the authorities to identify places where there has been encroachment on the canal and to seek the help of the Town Surveyor if necessary. Commission member K. Baijunath has directed the Corporation Secretary to take steps to remove silt from the canal with the help of the Minor Irrigation department.
The direction came at the commission sitting on Friday, based on a complaint filed by A.C. Francis. The commission noted that the canal, which extends from Kuttiyilthazham to Mooriyad in the city, is likely to have been encroached by private parties who have raised compound walls on both sides of the canal.
The commission summoned the Executive Engineer of Minor Irrigation at the sitting and said only a proper survey by the Revenue department could bring out the facts.
The commission accepted a report from the Corporation Secretary which states that the civic body has already undertaken renovation works worth ₹25 lakh on the canal and that a sum of ₹2 crore has been set aside for a separate project on the canal.
The desilting process of the canal is under way in Wards 30, 34 and 35 of the civic body. The report says that a bund set up by the Irrigation department on the Kallai river is one of the reasons behind the disruption of water flow in the Manchakal canal and that the Corporation has asked the department to demolish it.
The Commission has asked the Corporation Secretary as well as the Divisional Engineer of Minor Irrigation to submit a report on action taken within two months.
The Manchakkal canal was in the news recently, with local people demanding that it be cleaned as the water remained stagnant due to the presence of algae and water plants. It had resulted in waterlogging in the region during the 2018 and 2019 floods.
