The Hindu 21.07.2009
Canals to be cleaned
Special Correspondent
COIMBATORE: Flushing out plastics waste from a canal by using a water cannon is one of the options the district administration, Coimbatore Corporation and the irrigation wing of the Public Works Department (PWD) will examine over the next couple of days as part of efforts to ensure that water flows from the Big Tank at Ukkadam to Valankulam.
In the wake of reports that water has not reached the tanks in the city despite heavy flow in River Noyyal, District Collector held a meeting on Monday with officials of the Corporation, PWD and the Highways to discuss the problem of blocks in water ways hampering inflow to the tanks.
Chief Engineer of Coimbatore Corporation K. Balasubramaniam, PWD Executive Engineer (Irrigation) A. Venkatachalam and Divisional Engineer of National Highways D. Thangamuthu took part in the meeting.
After the meeting, the Collector and the officials visited the Big Tank and the Vellalore Canal that were among the water bodies that had not benefited from the South West Monsoon. They found that the canal connecting the Big Tank and the Valankulam was choked with garbage, including a substantial amount of plastics waste. The Valankulam was dry because surplus water did not flow through the canal from the Big Tank.
The Collector suggested that if digging the canal open was difficult because of the building that had come over it, a water cannon of a fire engine could be used to flush the waste out. Mr. Balasubramaniam said that while this could be one option, the other was to dig the canal open behind the police station and clear the waste.
Taking stock of the situation, Dr. Umanath said the options could be examined at another meeting in a couple of days. The Corporation Commissioner, Regional Director of Municipal Administration and senior officials of the PWD would take part in it, he said.
Efforts would be taken to remove garbage from the Vellalore Canal also, the Collector said. PWD officials attributed the problem in this canal to the dumping of waste generated across the Kuniamuthur Municipality.
