Canal makes life miserable for locals

KOCHI:  The Corporation had contributed a major share to build Rameswaram-Kalvathy Canal in the West Kochi area and now, it has become a sorrow for the people living in its vicinity. According to the locals, this year, the canal cleaning work was left incomplete.A highly placed official with the irrigation department said that the cleaning work has come to a standstill as the contractor who had undertaken the job has abandoned it. “Once his stipulated time is over, we will initiate action against him,” he said. The official said that the fencing of the canal is yet to be completed.Meanwhile, the residents said that the canal has become a mosquito breeding ground. “So far, nothing has been done to properly clean the canal. Many among us were diagnosed with filariasis,” they said. One of the residents, on condition of anonymity, said that he had fallen prey to filariasis several years ago. When asked, Health Standing Committee Chairman T K Ashraff refuted the statement. “The health department has issued no reports stating that this area is prone to filariasis,” he said.The canal built as a channel between Thoppumpady backwaters and the sea, is designed to carry wastewater into the sea at Kalvathy. The high and low tide flushes the water from one end to the other.The residents said that the flow of the canal is interrupted. “Encroachments have decreased the width of the canal resulting in failure to serve its purpose,” they said. They added that the local bodies’ representatives have already asked the authorities to take steps to remove the septic pipes coming from the houses and opening into the canal. “Also, waste from the unauthorised slaughter houses are being dumped into the canal making the lives of locals unbearable,” they said. They added that though the Kochi Corporation officials have refuted the presence of unauthorised slaughter houses in the area.