Save Meenachil drive from Oct 2

KOTTAYAM: The 'Haritha Theeram' project for protecting Meenachil river will be launched on October 2.

The campaign for protecting the river bank will be launched in 22 panchayats of Kottayam and Pala municipalities on that day, said Philson Mathew, vice president, district panchayat.

Under this project, the river as well its banks from Teekkoy in Erattupetta to Thiruvarppu in Kottayam will be cleaned and preserved.

"In Kottayam Municipality alone the river passes through 14 kilometres," said Mathew.

The residents associations as well as the organisation 'Saphalam 55', an organization of retired employees based in Pala are cooperating in the project, said Mathew.

The estimated cost for the initial phase of the project is Rs 54 lakh, said Mathew.

Agriculture department and social forestry department are part of the project. Among the priorities of the project is creating awareness among those staying on the banks of the river about the ill effects of sand mining from the river, said Mathew. "We will be conducting awareness classes for those staying on the banks. We will also provide them with the numbers of the Police for reporting incidents of illegal sand mining," he said. "Janamaithry police and nature clubs in schools will also be part of the campaign, he said. As part of the project, 50 bio gas plants will be installed on the banks of the river," he said.

Dr B Sreekumar, president of the Kottayam Nature Society, said that extreme care should be taken to preserve the existing greenery on the banks of the river while planting new ones.

"The new plantings should be done amidst the existing ones, without disturbing them," he said.

"We need to preserve the existing greenery on the banks," he added.

Punnen Kurien Vengadeth, secretary, Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences in Kottayam, said that those staying on the banks of the river should be made aware about not dumping waste into the river.

"Many houses on the banks do not even have septic tanks. Facilities should be established for waste management for these houses," he said.