And quiet flows the Meenanthara

River linking initiative took two years to revive the 19-km long water course

A view of the restored Meenanthara River from the Ponapally bridge in Kottayam.

Along a riverbed where only trash and weeds have held sway for over two decades, the Meenanthara river now flows clean and beautiful.

Two years after it commenced works to bring the dying rivers in the district to life, the Meenchil- Meenathara-Kodoor river linking initiative has finally succeeded in restoring the Meenanthara river by opening a permanent link between the 19-km long water body and the Meenchil river. The link, accomplished by restoring a network of canals surrounding the waterbody, will be used for feeding water from the Meenachil river using a lift-irrigation project at Arumanoor.

Water resources Minister K.Krishnan Kutty is slated to launch the lift-irrigation project at a function to be held here at 2.30 p.m on Monday.

The restoration of the Meenanthara river, a tributary of the Meenachil and a major inland water route in the past, marks an important milestone in the progress of the River linking initiative that seeks to reclaim the entire web of water bodies connecting the three major rivers in Kottayam.

“The relinking was accomplished by reinstating all the feeder canals that originate from the Meenachil, which together runs a distance of about seven kms and ends at the Meenanthara river. A major part of these canals, which course through private properties had been leveled and were cut open using heavy machinery,” explained K. Anilkumar, convenor of the river linking initiative.

At the same time, the banks of this reeking water body, which remained unable to sustain aquatic life, were cleared and stabilized while the channel was dredged to ensure water flow.

Paddy farming

Meanwhile, the successful rehabilitation of this dying river has also enabled the authorities to bring back paddy farming in a polder network of over 1,200 acres, spread across three panchayats – Vijayapuram, Manarkadu and Ayarkkunnam. Once the lifeline of several villages in the east eastern side of Kottayam, these polders surrounding the Meenanthara river had been lying barren due to a sharp drop in the water levels.

The authorities have been able to reclaim about half of this area and supported with a fund of ₹2.97 crore from the Agriculture Department, works are now on to expand the farming operations to the remaining area in the coming farming season.

“Keeping this land under the plough is the best way to ensure a sustained flow of water along this network,” Mr. Anil Kumar added.