15,000 volunteers join Clean Killiyaar Mission

Thiruvananthapuram: The Killiyaar mega cleaning drive organised by city corporation covering 13.5 km in 14 wards was marked by the presence of around 15,000 persons which included politicians, cleaning workers, corporation staff, members of residents’ associations and military personnel. The first phase of Clean Killiyaar Mission ended with the mega cleaning drive and the next phase will involve machines which will be deployed on places where it has been impossible to remove waste manually during Tuesday’s drive.
As much as 65 loads of waste were collected from 15 cleaning points during the drive. Sanitary waste including napkins and diapers, poultry waste sacks and empty liquor bottles and broken glassware comprised most of the garbage found in the waterbody. The corporation plans to recycle glass waste after segregation.

In many places, the local residents joined the cleaning drive voluntarily. Udayan, a workshop owner took a break from his daily work and took part in the cleaning drive. He sustained a minor wound on his feet. “We didn't know that so much glass waste had been dumped in the river,” said Udayan. Ajitha, an office assistant at a fire safety training institute, was gladly granted leave by her manager when she told him about the cleaning drive. “I had grown up watching the river getting more and more polluted year by year. For the first time I got an opportunity to do something about it,” said Ajitha who was part of the cleaning mission at Arannur.

The 65 cleaning points were fixed based on results gathered from a survey conducted by corporation in 2018.

Killipalam, where the cleaning drive was inaugurated, churned out the largest quantity of waste. A group of 45 CRPF personnel also joined the drive at Killipalam. “The mayor had sought our help and we were happy to step in,” said Srijith, assistant commandant of CRPF, Pallipuram.

The corporation had deployed six earth movers, two mini excavators, 10 trucks and 12 pick-up autos for the mega cleaning drive. Chairperson of works standing committee S Pushpalatha, who led the cleaning drive at Killipalam said that sacks of poultry waste posed the biggest challenge. After lying in water for months the contents in the sacks were rotten and the stench was unbearable. “We need to take strict action against such offenders,” said Pushpalatha.

Local self-government minister A C Moideen inaugurated the cleaning drive at Killipalam. The minister said that legal action would be initiated against those who contaminate the water body.

The city corporation will now begin the process of preparation of a master plan for Killiyaar. The officials have also come across earthen mounds in the middle of the water body which is blocking the water flow and machinery will be used to remove them.