Kerala - Kochi   

Cleaning of canals to start next week

KOCHI: The tendering process for cleaning the main canals in the city, a major monsoon preparedness programme, has been completed and the cleaning operations would start next week.

The tendering of the major canals in Palluruthy, Edapally and Vyttila has been completed and the process for central Kochi will be finalised on Monday, said E. M. Sunil Kumar, chairman of the Town Planning Standing Committee of the Kochi Corporation.

The de-silting and cleaning of the major drains and canals in the city are carried out annually as part of the monsoon preparedness as these canals carry away rainwater from the city roads and bylanes. These canals also play an important role in preventing water-logging in the city streets and low-lying areas during the monsoon season.

Usually, these works are completed during mid-May. This time, the Corporation has speeded up the programme and the cleaning works will start during the first week of May itself, he said. The meteorologists have predicted May 20 as the possible date of the onset of monsoon. The Corporation councillors had earlier demanded that the preparedness programmes should be completed earlier taking into consideration the predictions of weathermen.

The first round of cleaning of small drains at the division levels had been completed using the Rs. 25,000 fund allotted to each division. The funds were deposited in banks in the joint account held by the division councillors and the junior health inspectors in their respective areas. The funds were deposited in the bank accounts as per the directive of the State Government.

All the divisions in the Corporation will be allowed Rs. 25,000 each for completing the cleaning process. This fund will also be released soon, he said.

The Corporation has been observing the last two Sundays as dry days as a measure for checking the mosquito population. The Health officials of the Corporation and also the division councillors had visited households with the message to dry up the water sources where there is the possibility of the mosquitoes laying eggs. The use of bio larvicides and other mosquito control measures are also to be popularised during these visits. The Corporation has also procured two big fogging machines as part of the mosquito control operations. The fogging machines will be deployed in various parts of the city and a schedule for their operations will soon be drawn up, he said.

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