Posted on July 5, 2021
KOCHI: With a bund constructed across the backwaters for facilitating the work on Vallarpadom railway line causing waterlogging in many places, the government has started measures to desilt the backwaters on a war footing. The railways will give a report to the district collector regarding clearing the silt and debris by Tuesday.
On the basis of the report by railways, district collector S Suhas should take further action, industries minister P Rajeev instructed. A meeting convened by the minister discussed various measures to ensure smooth flow of water and avoid flooding in many areas like Kalamassery and Eloor. As per a study conducted by the irrigation department, a bund which had been constructed more than a decade ago obstructs the flow of water in the backwaters and causes waterlogging in many places. The temporary bund constructed way back in 2009 for facilitating the work on the railway line to International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadom is yet to be demolished.
It is near Vaduthala Don Bosco Kadavu, which is the confluence point of river Periyar and the backwaters, that the bund had been constructed. This caused sedimentation of silt and debris of the railway line and pillars along one kilometre.
The sedimentation has also posed a threat for fishing in those areas. Of the 19 gaps between the 20 pillars of the ICTT railway line in the area, navigation is possible through just two. Based on complaints filed by various agencies and NGOs, including social welfare action society, minister Rajeev has asked the officials to conduct a study to identify the real cause for waterlogging in the area.
The removal of the debris will also help the dredging activities being carried out by Cochin Port Trust (CPT), the study report states. It also recommends that DP World, the firm which operates the ICTT, and the private firm which had undertaken the work on the railway line should be made part of the debris removal. The contractor of the railway line had agreed to disband the bund and remove the silt. For clearing the flow of water in the area where the width of the backwater is 780m, around 15.6 lakh square metre silt will have to be removed. The silt had settled in the area in the past one decade. Another hurdle is identifying an area for storing the silt removed from the backwaters. The authorities are planning to hand pick one of the islands near the area for storing the silt.
