De-silting and widening of the five-km canal from Lenin Nagar behind the Observatory Hills to Kannammoola; creating a 1.2-km new diversion canal from the KSRTC central bus station to Upidamoodu; and steps to check dumping of solid waste into the canal figure in the Rs.30.72-crore Thampanoor flood mitigation measures.
Aimed at resolving the longstanding issue of flooding at Thampanoor, the work of the Rs.21.72-crore deviation canal had been included under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The tenders for the deviation canal will be floated on Saturday.
The ground work is in full swing and the Kerala Road Fund Board, the special purpose vehicle under the Public Works Department (PWD), has been entrusted with the project.
“Shifting of the utilities has started and the aim is to complete the work before the onset of monsoon,” nodal officer for the Thampanoor flood mitigation measures U.V. Jose told The Hindu .
The diversion canal is being constructed since the existing canal, which moves beneath the railway line, gets clogged after heavy rains and blocks the flow of water, leading to flooding at Thampanoor.
As the canal will be through the RMS-Overbridge-Upidamoodu stretch, trenchless technology will be used. The service of Niranjan Swaroop, Executive Director, Indian Society of Trenchless Technology, is being used.
The Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Ltd. (TRDCL) is going ahead with the construction of a star-shaped culvert and reconstruction of the culvert from near the Poonara Sreedhar park to the canal.
Box-type culverts have been used in the Pazhavangadi canal between the Indian Coffee House and KTDC’s Hotel Chaithram and the area will be landscaped and a walkway would be made.
Along with the de-silting and widening of the 5-km canal from Lenin Nagar, the quality of water flowing through it will be improved. Cameras
The Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO) is preparing a project to provide sewage lines on both sides of the canal and to treat it.
To prevent dumping of solid waste into the canal, it has been decided to install 54 cameras and seek the service of the police, traders, and the local residents’ associations. The de-silting and strengthening of the canal will cost Rs.9 crore and it will be made available from the projects that had not taken off under the JNNURM.
