Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Karimatom tank to be cleaned up

Special Correspondent

Government will take steps to preserve tank as a freshwater source, says Minister

DAMAGE CONTROL EXERCISE: Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran and Thiruvananthapuram East MLA V. Sivankutty inspecting a polluted tank near the Karimatom colony on Thursday. — Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran said here on Thursday that the Government would take up a major project to clean up the heavily-polluted Karimatom tank bordering the Manacaud and Chala wards and preserve it as a freshwater source.

The project will include steps to prevent sewage overflow from the Kuriyathi pumphouse to the Karimatom tank and desilt the drains and gutters in the area, the Minister said after a visit to the Karimatom colony. The colony had to be partially evacuated following heavy flooding in the recent rain.

Mr. Premachandran held discussions with representatives of the local people. Thiruvananthapuram East MLA V. Sivankutty, Corporation councillors and officials from the Irrigation Department and Kerala Water Authority (KWA) accompanied the Minister.

Residents and traders in the Manacaud and Chala wards told the official delegation that the tank was polluted with sewage overflowing from the Kuriyathi pumphouse. They said the contaminated water was flooding the roads and houses in the area, exposing them to the risk of epidemics. Many of the waterlogged houses in the area were in danger of collapsing, they said. They urged the Minister to initiate steps to clean the pond and repair the damaged roads in the locality.

Discussions held

Terming the living conditions in the colony inhuman and unhygienic, Mr. Premachandran said the first priority would be to check sewage overflow into the tank from the KWA's sewage pumphouse. After discussions with officials from his department, Mr. Premachandran said a bypass drain would be constructed from Kuriyathi to the main drainage canal using underground pipes.

The work, estimated to cost Rs.25 lakh, would be taken up with the excess pipes in the possession of the KWA.

The second component of the project would be to rebuild two sectors of the colony by repairing the stormwater gutters and restoring the conduit drains. The restoration of the tank would also be taken up simultaneously with the help of the City Corporation, he said. The work would involve clearing the silt, garbage and overgrown shrubs inside the pond and restoring the tank to its original function as a flood moderation zone.

The Minister also visited the temporary relief camp housing the colony residents who were evacuated from their flooded homes.

Chala ward councillor Chalai Mohanan and Manacaud councillor M.S. Sobhitha were among those who accompanied Mr. Premachandran.

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