A challenge to restore Meenachil river’s beauty

Select locations along the riverbanks to be conserved through aesthetic planting, landscaping

A long expanse of lawn, where butterflies flutter around, goes down till the edge of the water that flows past the countryside. On the grassland, a vast array of trees and picnic groves are neatly lined up. This riverside locale on the foothills of the Western Ghats, which offers a fantastic view of a check-dam on the Kunnonni canal, near Poonjar Thekkekara, and beyond, is now setting the model for a unique challenge to restore the beauty of the Meenachil river in Kottayam. The challenge, named “Green shore, Beaming shore” (Haritabha Threeam, Abhimana Theeram), will take off to a start at four locations along the river’s course in June this year. According to Eby Emmanuel, general secretary of the Meenachil River Protection Committee, the initiative takes a cue from the experiences of Naalumanikattu, near Kottayam, and the Kunnonni canal beautification project that have helped check waste dumping in waterbodies.