THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite repeated efforts by the Minor Irrigation Department to remove the silt in the canal, the plight of the people living near Kariyilthodu in Muttathara remains unchanged. The residents live in the fear of their houses getting flooded with the monsoon only weeks away. Adding to their woes is the threat of communicable diseases at a time when Covid-19 already has the health department in overdrive. 

The 600-metre-long stretch of the eight-kilometre-long Kariyilthodu from Secular Gardens to Thekkinamkara canal near NH Bypass is filled with solid waste and silt. The depth of the canal has reduced to 80 cm from 3.25 metres due to the accumulation of silt and solid waste on its bed. 
“Once it rains, water enters the road. The state is doing a lot of work on flood mitigation. Various authorities, including the Human Rights Commission and District Collector, have directed the Minor Irrigation Department to remove the silt from the canal.

However, nothing has changed for years. This is undoing all the good work by the government and officials,” said G Ravi, a resident of Secular Gardens. Following heavy showers, roads and houses at Asan Nagar and Secular Gardens are flooded with water. Students and the elderly residents are forced to wade through unclean water from the overflowing drains.

Officials of the Minor Irrigation Department voice their helplessness citing lack of funds, “It would be too late when the project is approved. The city corporation could do it easily as part of the pre-monsoon cleaning efforts,” said Bindhu C S, assistant executive engineer. Meanwhile, the city corporation’s pre-monsoon cleaning works are under way. “We are cleaning all major canals despite it being the Minor Irrigation Department’s responsibility. We also see instances where they bring in earth movers and other cleaning equipment to spruce up the areas we had already cleaned. This fund wasted in repetition can be diverted for other projects which is not done,” said I P Binu, Health Standing Committee chairperson.