Here, a pond is being killed for ‘development’

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as efforts are underway to safeguard and rejuvenate the remaining water bodies in the district, a natural pond located inside the Medical College campus is being filled up with sand to ‘make way for development’. Medical college authorities say the pond is being filled up temporarily for ensuring smooth construction of upcoming flyover connecting RCC, Sri Chitra Institute and SAT hospital.
Three-quarter of the large pond has already been filled and the untouched portion has become a dump yard of plastic bottles and medical waste.
Interestingly, residents who live near the place, welcome the move as they had been suffering from unmindful garbage dumping and the unhygienic condition of the pond. The silence of the locals seems to have encouraged the move to fill the pond.
According to local resident Shahraban Beevi, whenever it rains the pond overflows and covers the entire stretch of the road which connects to the main road. “The dirty water and lack of maintenance turned the pond into a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” she said.
Meanwhile, Medical College Hospital superintendent Dr M S Sharmad said that the pond would be reinstated and rejuvenated once the construction work is completed. “Major infrastructure projects costing Rs 800 crore are being implemented on the campus and we intend to do it in such a way that nature is least disrupted during the process,” the superintendent said.
Environmentalist Jayakumar C of non-profit organization Thanal said that it would be impossible to restore the pond back to its original state even if it was filled with just sand. “It has already been proven that such construction has contributed greatly to floods,” he said.