The Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) canal will be linked to rivers to prevent flooding in low-lying Kuttanad, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine has said.
Replying to a calling attention motion by Changanassery MLA Job Michael, the Minister said the canal would be linked to rivers at Pulinkunnu, Mankombu and Pallathuruthy.
Mr. Augustine said that a report by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation had recommended the opening of the AC canal from Manakkachira to Pallathuruthy. “The government has entrusted IIT Madras to conduct a study on extending the canal to Pallathuruthy. The report is expected by March 31 and further action will be taken based on it,” the Minister said.
The AC canal, running parallel to the Alappuzha- Changanassery road, was first mooted in the early 1950s to drain excess water from the Manimala and Pampa rivers to Vembanad Lake. However, seven decades after, it remains incomplete.
The canal consists of three stretches and only the reach between Manakkachira and Onnamkara has been completed. Although the government had earlier announced plans for the deepening and opening of the canal from Onnamkara to Nedumudi and from Nedumudi to Pallathuruthy, the project made little progress.
Various reports, including the ones prepared by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in 2007 and the Kerala State Planning Board (KSPB) in 2019, called for the urgent completion of the AC canal. “The completion of the AC canal is essential for the efficient drainage of floodwater. A potential constraint is encroachments into the area. A considerable extent of this space is occupied by households, shops and other establishments along the AC road. These encroachments need to be vacated and work on the AC canal completed at the original width of 40 m,” reads the report titled ‘A special package for post-flood Kuttanad’ by the KSPB.
Once the canal is opened fully, it would prevent floodwaters from spreading in areas such as Veliyanad, Kavalam, Ramankary, Neelamperoor and so on.
