Plastic waste accumulation in Punjathodu canal causes hardships to Ponnurunni residents

Kochi: Accumulation of plastic waste in Punjathodu canal in Ponnurunni has made life miserable for residents. According to locals, the contractor who has been deployed by corporation to clean the canal, removed floating barriers a couple of days back, forcing the plastic trapped upstream to suddenly flow down to Ponnurunni area.Residents said that despite their sustained efforts to make the area waste-free, plastic waste from other divisions is flowing into Punjathodu. In Ponnurunni East division, floating barriers were installed in the canal to trap plastic waste at specific points, allowing for its collection and removal. "We have been carrying out a lot of steps to ensure that our area is waste-free. None of the residents would litter waste or dump it into the canal. It was after a prolonged campaign that we achieved this goal. This had significantly improved the cleanliness of the stretch passing through the division. At the barrier set up near Aisha Road, accumulated plastic waste was being regularly cleared to prevent it from moving downstream, thereby protecting the lower stretches of the canal," Dibin Dileep, former councillor from the division, said. However, removal of the barrier has made the situation worse. "Once discharged from Aisha Road barrier, the waste would normally get trapped at a railway culvert on the border of Ponnurunni East division. This makes cleaning very difficult. The stench emanating from the waste is causing hardships to the residents" Dileep said. The residents are planning to start an agitation to force the authorities to intervene and remove the waste.