Civic body employs permanent system to clean waterbodies

Sam Paul A.

Cleaning a waterbody with great fanfare is one thing, but restoring its wholesomeness and keeping water clean through continuous maintenance is the real deal.

At a time when clean-up drives and projects that start with much hype soon fade out without a whimper, the Cherthala municipality in Alappuzha is making it a routine task to conserve canals within its limits.

The civic body has recently taken a fibre boat on lease and deployed trash collectors to pick plastic bottles, used containers, and other stuff from water on a daily basis. "Canal cleaning is going to be a continuous process in Cherthala," says Sherly Bharghavan, chairperson, Cherthala Municipality. "All the polluted canals and waterbodies in the municipality will be rejuvenated and conserved."

Cherthala has a vast network of canals and other waterbodies with many choking on plastic waste. The civic body has established the permanent mechanism after realising the need for routine cleaning to protect rejuvenated waterbodies in the municipal area. "We have recently restored the AS canal under the 'Thelineer ozhukum nava Keralam' campaign of the State government. A few days after the successful rejuvenation programme, plastic and other waste started to float again on the water and it is when we realised the need for a change in strategy," says G. Renjith, chairman, Welfare Standing Committee, Cherthala Municipality.

Nowadays, one or two contingent workers employed by the civic body move around the stretch of AS Canal in Cherthala on the boat for 2-3 hours every day and collect waste. The plastic collected is handed over to agencies concerned for recycling. "At present plastic is collected from the AS Canal. We have already invited tenders for buying a boat for the purpose and the mechanism will soon be extended to other waterbodies in the municipal area," says Mr. Renjith.

In the meantime, the municipality will conduct a rigorous campaign to raise awareness about waste management and the importance of conserving waterbodies. "The municipality will launch a campaign titled 'Chellotha Cherthala' on May 1, which will run continuously for 122 days. As part of the cleanliness programme, a host of initiatives will be undertaken including ward-level surveys, awareness classes and so on. We hope routine cleaning of waterbodies and creating awareness will bring a positive change," says Mr. Renjith.