Team to probe discharge of waste water into Conolly Canal

Video laments lack of action by authorities, sparks concern

A video circulated on social media showed waste water being discharged into the Connolly Canal from outside a city hospital.

Kozhikode District Collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao has assigned a special team to inquire into the alleged discharge of waste water into the Conolly Canal from outside Baby Memorial Hospital.

This followed circulation of a video on social media that showed discharge of blackish water from a discharge outlet next to the hospital. The person who shot the video also lamented the lack of action by the authorities, pointing out that “things were back to square one after days of efforts led by Niravu, Vengeri, to clean the canal”.

Collector’s visit

After many netizens expressed concern about the condition of the canal, the Collector, Sub Collector, and the Corporation Health Officer visited the area and examined various similar allegations raised in the past. The hospital authorities denied the charges and presented their version.

Now, a special team involving officials from the departments of Public Works, Irrigation, and Hydrology, those from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, and engineering experts from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, has been formed. The release said the team visited the area on Friday and would do so again on Monday.

Meanwhile, the management of the hospital claimed that the waste water outlet was not theirs and the discharge from other institutions were being let into the public drainage and then into the canal.

Though a part of the drainage pipe passed through the hospital premises, hospital waste was not being let into it. The waste water from the hospital was being recycled and used for internal use, they claimed.