The Hindu : Kerala News : Campaign planned to save Kallayi river

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 02, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Campaign planned to save Kallayi river

Staff Reporter

Cultural organisation trying to ensure people's participation in the movement

KOZHIKODE: The Yuvakala Sahiti, a cultural and literary organisation, will spearhead a concerted campaign, with the collective participation of the local people, to protect and save the Kallayi river.

A convention of cultural leaders and environmentalists was held here on Wednesday to chalk out details of the awareness measures and conduct a detailed study on the extent of encroachment and pollution to which the river has been subject to.

T. Sobeendran, environmentalist, presided over the meeting. A committee, comprising environmentalists and scientists, will prepare a report in this regard.

Yuvakala Sahiti district secretary C.M. Kesavan said it would be the endeavour of the organisation to create a mass consciousness to save the Kallayi, which has become prone to encroachments and pollution on an unprecedented scale. The need was to launch a sensitisation drive to stall the existing culture of degrading the river.

"It will be a collective intervention. The Government must take appropriate steps to retain the land that belongs to the river."

"Through awareness campaigns, the general public will be sensitised to the widespread degradation of the Kallayi, the lifeline of Kozhikode, which traverses 22 km through the district from Cherukulathoor in Peruvayal grama panchayat limits and empties into the Arabian Sea," Mr. Kesavan said.

Encroachments of the riverbanks were a major issue of concern. The encroachments extended at times up to an area of 50 cents, it is said.

Mr. Kesavan said the Kallayi had become a virtual dumping ground of wastes. Wastes from meat and fish stalls were dumped here on a regular basis. The pollution was so grave that people living on the riverbanks were put to a lot of trouble because of the stench.

The quality of the water in the river had been affected too. All this had resulted in silt accumulating on the riverbed, and affecting the flow of water.

In fact, many small islets had appeared on the river because of silt, Mr. Kesavan said. The awareness campaigns will be launched in July-August.

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