Officials seek weed remover for Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Irrigation officials have mooted a proposal for a weed remover machine as crores of rupees are lost from the public exchequer annually in attempts to clean water hyacinths in Parvathi Puthanar. Presently, tenders are floated from time to time for pushing weeds and water hyacinths out to sea via Akkulam lake and Poonthura estuary. The cost each time for cleaning comes to around Rs 1 crore. 

However, the benefits are undone as water hyacinth grows by around 100 per cent in a month and a half, blocking water flow. “Power Minister Kadakampally Surendran, soon after assuming office, proposed a permanent weed remover machine to clean the manmade river round the year. In cities like Chennai, with polluted water bodies like this, permanent pond dunes are used to clean up rivers” said a senior official attached to the Inland Navigation section of Irrigation Department.

This can cut down the cost of Parvati Puthanar cleaning and can keep the water flow steady in summer. However, there is no official word yet on when the machine can be procured. Incidentally, Corpora-tion and revenue officials are unhappy with the idea of a permanent cleaner as it will put pressure on the waste management system in the city. “Around 200 to 400 tonnes of waste are dredged out during each clean up and there is no space left in the city to dump them. The last time officials could dump the silt and filth from the river to meet the landfill needs of the highway,” the official added.