The demolition of the earthen embankment in the middle of the backwater, as part of the third phase of construction of the Thanneermukkom bund, is set for further delay with no decision taken on the ownership of the embankment’s sand.
Although the demolition of the earth bank commenced last week, officials said that the process would have to be halted due to lack of space to store the removed earth.
Both the Thanneermukkom and Vechoor grama panchayats have made a claim over the 1.5 lakh cubic metres of earth to be removed as part of the demolition of the embankment, which resulted in a stand-off between the local bodies and the contractor.
As per the agreement, the contractor can take the earth after paying a fee to the Irrigation Department and a royalty to the Mining and Geology Department.
It was decided that the earth removed would be kept at a nearby site until a final decision was taken on the matter.
“At present, we are keeping the earth at a nearby site, but there is a shortage of space. We will have to stop the demolition unless a decision on the ownership is taken,” said an official.
So far only a small portion of the embankment was removed.
From 2014
The third phase of construction, which commenced in September 2014, will replace the embankment in the middle by 28 steel shutters. The work is almost complete, except for some electrical work. It is likely to be made operational in two months.
The bund across the Vembanad lake, proposed to keep the water balance and prevent intrusion of salt water into Kuttanad, was designed by the Central Water and Power Research Station in 1956.
The first and second phases were completed in 1965 and 1975. The barrage was made operational in 1976.
Once completed, the Thanneermukkom bund, with a span of 1,410 metres, will have 90 shutters, including 31 each on the western and eastern sides. The third phase is being constructed at a cost of ₹252 crore.
