Coimbatore canal pollution has become a fresh municipal accountability concern at Veerakeralam, where desilted material allegedly remained along the banks of a canal for nearly three months and some of it reportedly slipped back into the waterway.
N Aravinth, a resident and activist, accused the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) of failing to remove the excavated silt promptly after a desilting drive. He said the material, along with waste dumped near the canal, had reduced the waterway’s carrying capacity and undermined the purpose of the maintenance work.
“We asked officials to remove the silt when the desilting work began. They said it would be removed after work. It has been three months, and it is still lying there. Some of it has fallen back into the canal and is clogging it,” Aravinth said, according to the report.
The activist also questioned the allocation of funds for silt removal. “Moreover, the corporation allocates a separate amount to remove silt, so where has that money gone?” he said. The allegation links the physical condition of the canal to a wider concern over whether municipal maintenance contracts and post-work clearing are being completed as planned.
The issue has also been connected to continuing sewage inflow and garbage dumping along the waterway. Aravinth said sewage continued to enter the canal and that waste was being discarded on its banks despite the corporation’s emphasis on household waste segregation.
He suggested that green fencing could be installed along vulnerable stretches to discourage dumping. The proposal, as reported, focuses on preventing waste from entering the canal rather than relying only on periodic cleaning after pollution has already occurred.
The canal near Veerakeralam junction is linked to the channel feeding Krishnampathy tank. The corporation had said in July that desilting of the channel was under way as part of a city-wide pre-monsoon drive. The reported return of excavated material to the canal raises an operational question about the period between desilting and final disposal, particularly when loosened silt is stored beside an active waterway.
For residents, the immediate concern is the canal’s ability to carry water when its banks and channel are obstructed by silt and waste. The supplied report does not establish the extent of the obstruction, identify the agency responsible for removing the material, or provide a response from the corporation to the allegations. It also does not state whether any penalty or corrective action has been initiated.
The matter therefore remains centred on the activist’s allegations and the civic body’s earlier statement that desilting was under way. The next relevant step is clarification from the CCMC on the status of silt removal, sewage inflow control and measures to prevent further dumping along the Veerakeralam canal.
