T’puram: The long-polluted Amayizhanjan canal is set for a comprehensive cleaning drive, with the irrigation department, city corporation and district administration joining hands to remove years of accumulated waste and put in place measures to prevent the waterway from turning into a dumping ground again. The major irrigation department has completed the tendering process for the cleaning work, and the contractor is expected to begin operations next week.The project envisages clearing the accumulated garbage and silt from the canal, with officials estimating that the volume of waste to be removed could run into nearly 2,000 loads. The district administration sanctioned a fund of Rs 1.05 crore for the comprehensive cleaning about a month ago following discussions among the departments. The irrigation department, which has primary jurisdiction over the canal, subsequently invited tenders and selected a contractor for the work.The latest initiative is being viewed as an attempt to provide a more permanent solution to the recurring waste problem in the canal rather than relying solely on periodic cleaning. For years, the canal has been used as an illegal dumping point by households, commercial establishments and others, resulting in large quantities of plastic, construction debris, household waste, and other refuse accumulating in several stretches.The corporation will support the irrigation department in the cleaning operation, particularly in the removal and management of waste. The need for coordinated intervention has gained urgency following repeated instances of the canal getting clogged and contributing to waterlogging during heavy rain. The canal is a major component of the city’s drainage network.Corporation health standing committee chairperson M R Gopan said the comprehensive cleaning was necessary to remove the legacy waste that had accumulated over several years.“The canal has accumulated waste for years, and periodic cleaning alone cannot solve the problem. The present initiative is aimed at clearing the entire stretch and creating a mechanism to ensure that the waste does not return,” Gopan said.The cleaning drive comes at a time when authorities are also attempting to prevent fresh dumping. The irrigation department’s dome fencing project, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 5.54 crore, envisages fencing vulnerable stretches of the canal to prevent people from throwing household waste, plastic and construction debris into the waterway while retaining access for maintenance and emergency operations. The project covers more than 2km of vulnerable stretches.However, only about half of the dome-fencing work has progressed, with encroachments and structures along the canal banks emerging as major hurdles. Several houses have constructed walls and other structures close to the canal, and these encroachments have to be removed with the cooperation of the corporation before the remaining fencing work can be completed.A senior irrigation department official said the department was committed to completing the cleaning work while simultaneously pursuing the fencing project.The corporation had earlier introduced the AI-enabled G-Spider robotic system, while CCTV surveillance and special squads were also deployed to identify illegal dumping. However, officials found that technology alone could not deal with the enormous quantity and nature of waste accumulated in the canal.The canal has remained under intense scrutiny since sanitation worker N Joy drowned during a cleaning operation in July 2024. His death triggered a series of govt-level interventions, including proposals for physical barriers and coordinated cleaning by the irrigation department, corporation and other agencies.
