Kochi Corporation starts desilting Thevara-Perandoor Canal

Kochi: The city corporation has started desilting the Thevara-Perandoor canal and removal of hyacinth from it. Irrigation department had to stop the work after the canal’s retention walls collapsed during desilting last year.The desilting of the canal is crucial to containing waterlogging in the city. It is one of the arterial canals into which the stormwater flows.“We use our weed cutters and silt pushers to desilt the canal. The desilting of canals like Chendadampokku Thodu has progressed really well,” said Kochi corporation works standing committee chairman T K Asharaf. He said the desilting of all major canals would be completed by June 15.There is widespread criticism against the delay as the corporation authorities had promised to start the desilting of major canals on April 27. “The preparatory works for desilting were completed only on May 17. By that time, the summer rains started. This caused some delay in starting the desilting of major canals,” Asharaf said.Corporation authorities said desilting of small and medium drains and canals was almost complete and that it would help reduce waterlogging in the city. At the same time, the desilting works should have been completed long ago. If the silt removed from the drains and canals is stacked on their banks and is not transported to areas demarcated for the purpose, stormwater will push the waste back into the canals. This will affect the flow of water through the canals during rainy season thereby adding to the waterlogging, an official said.