Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called an all-party meeting on July 27 to muster bipartisan political support for the Kerala government’s impending drive to rid the State of garbage, plastic litter and water-contaminating raw sewage pollution.
The special drive comes in the wake of the public outcry caused by the death of a sanitation worker who drowned while clearing the clogged and waste-laden Amayizhanjan Canal that courses through the heart of the capital city.
Moreover, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Opposition and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have signalled that they will make urban decay, the public health hazard posed by polluted waterways, recurrent flooding caused by choked stormwater drains, “stalled” Smart City project, dug-up roads and failure to complete the laying of sewage pipelines campaign issues to whip up anti-Left Democratic Front (LDF) sentiment ahead of the 2025 local body elections.
With urban pollution coming into sharp public focus and the Opposition politicising the issue, the CPI(M) announced a mass movement to make Kerala litter-free.
Coursing through the heart of the capital city, the Amayizhanjan Canal has become a noxiously black open sewer and breeding ground for mosquitoes spreading malaria and dengue fevers.
Its degradation has also raised questions about the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation’s efficacy in curbing sewage and plastic pollution.
Most stormwater drains expunge sewage and large amounts of trash into the arterial canal, which remains choked with urban sewage year-round, except during the monsoon season.
The canal empties into Akkulam Lake and is the most significant contributor to the scenic waterbody’s pollution. The Amayizhanjan Canal also receptacles waste from hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, auditoriums, marketplaces, and households.
Moreover, large swathes of Thiruvananthapuram city still need to be connected to sewerage lines, and the government’s bid to create an expansive sewage network connected to pumping stations and treatment plants remained in limbo.
The stasis has caused hundreds of houses and commercial institutions abutting the city’s canals and rivers to pipe untreated sewage directly into the water bodies.
Poor state of roads
Hundreds of roads connecting residential neighbourhoods have remained dug up and barely motorable for years, a fundamental cause of arguably growing public ire against the LDF government.
The Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation recently penalised two major retailers for dumping raw sewage into the urban canal. An official said the detections are just the tip of the iceberg, and there could be more big-time violators.
He said the government also planned to audit commercial and high-rise apartment buildings’ sewage and waste disposal mechanisms. It would also examine how vehicle service centres dispose of used engine oil, dead batteries, and worn-out auto parts.
High-end technology and automation to clean stormwater drains and remove waste from canals are on the anvil. A harsher crackdown on the use of single-use plastic is on the horizon.
Clogged urban canals and stormwater drains were a significant cause of flooding, urban displacement, and distress, at least in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi Municipal Corporations.
The Opposition UDF and the BJP have repeatedly slammed the government for its alleged failure to keep the State litter-free.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said polluted canals were a public health hazard and an eyesore. He said garbage mounts and toxically polluted canals and waterbodies broadcast the image of a State in decline, not a tourist haven, as the LDF government claimed.
Published - July 23, 2024 01:05 pm IST
