The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : Work on cleaning choked Sanganur Canal begins

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Thursday, Jan 04, 2007
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Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

Work on cleaning choked Sanganur Canal begins

Special Correspondent

Coimbatore Corporation starts removal of silt and garbage Coimbatore Corporation starts removal of silt and garbage

OPERATION CLEAN-UP: Mayor R. Venkatachalam (right) inspects the work to desilt Sanganur Canal in the city on Wednesday. - PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN .

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation has begun removing silt and garbage from the much-abused Sanganur Canal. While this will provide only a temporary solution, the works now are also described as groundwork for the cleaning of the canal and beautification of either side under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

A waterway that should bring rainwater to the Singanallur Tank brings mostly only sewage now. Encroachments, abuse in the form of sewage and dumping of garbage has reduced the canal to being viewed as the curse of the city. Choking of culverts by garbage leads to backflow from the canal into residential colonies during heavy rain.

The first week of November last year witnessed such problems in a number of layouts on either side of Tiruchi Road. Untreated sewage is let into the canal and it mixes with the water in the tank. This, in turn, leads to thick growth of water hyacinth in the tank. The hyacinth prevents boating in the tank - one of the few recreations available to people living in and around the city.

"Once the scheme for cleaning the canal takes off under the JNNURM, all the problems blamed on the canal will be eliminated," Mayor R. Venkatachalam said on Wednesday, the second day of the de-silting.

Encroachments

The Corporation would now get into the process of identifying encroachments that impeded flow of water in the11 km canal within the city. These would be removed only after studying options for alternative sites to re-settle the encroachers.

Corporation officials said that this aspect would be looked into by consultants (Action for Food Production) appointed to study water bodies in the city and submit proposals for their rejuvenation.

"Wherever there is space along the canal, a park will be created," the Mayor said.

This aimed at turning the canal from an eyesore into a recreation spot. The Corporation had already said there were plans to have even food courts at these parks.

One of the primary tasks was to strengthen the bunds of the canal and also build retaining walls. As for letting sewage into the canal, a Corporation engineer said that the civic body would consider applying the rules under the National River Conservation Plan that insisted on release of only treated wastewater.

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