The district administration has decided to launch a clean-up drive across Thiruvananthapuram city on Saturday. A decision in this regard was taken in view of the heavy rains a day ago that left many parts of the State capital flooded.
A meeting that was convened by District Collector K. Vasuki on Friday chalked out strategies for the campaign. The prime focus of the drive would be the clean-up of canals. Efforts would also be made to unclog drainage lines to ensure the unhindered flow of flood waters, official sources said. Officials of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and Irrigation Department were among those who participated in the meeting.
The unexpected spell of rains, which took both the city residents and authorities by surprise, proved to be the first test-of-sorts to ascertain the effectiveness of the works that had been undertaken as part of the Operation Anantha flood mitigation drive. While many claimed that such activities ensured that the flood waters receded at a faster rate than in the past, there were others who claimed that the presence of accumulated waste materials impeded the flow of the flood water.
Operation Anantha, which had been launched under the supervision of former Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson and former District Collector Biju Prabhakar, involved around 200 works that were undertaken at a cost of over ₹18 crore. Besides flood mitigation, the operation also focused on removing encroachments along major canals in certain places, including Pazhavangady, East Fort and Thampanoor.