A community-led cleanup of the polluted Kuppethazham-Kumbappillithodu waterway has begun in Thiruvaniyoor, near Kolenchery, after overgrown vegetation, plastic waste and contaminated water severely restricted the canal’s flow and use. The work is being led by Vandippetta ward member Adv. P.R. Raj, with the participation of employment-guarantee workers, farmers and local residents.
According to a report by Mathrubhumi – Kochi, the waterway is covered by trees, creepers and thorny growth, making it difficult to even identify its course in several stretches. Plastic bottles, clothes, footwear, bags and thermocol have accumulated in the canal and are obstructing the movement of water. The report said the water has become so polluted that bathing is no longer possible.
Workers involved in the operation said that even with equipment including a machine cutter, the team is unable to clear more than 10 metres in a day. The slow pace reflects the physical condition of the waterway, where vegetation and accumulated waste have combined to make access and removal difficult.
The cleanup is not being supported by any financial assistance, according to the report. Organisers therefore intend to complete the work with the cooperation of local residents. The initiative began after a meeting chaired by ward member P.R. Raj, where environmental activist P.A. Thankachan formally inaugurated the project.
The condition of the canal also points to a wider pressure on local water resources. Mathrubhumi reported that hundreds of tanker loads of water are transported every day from the panchayat towards the Ernakulam side and urban areas. The report did not establish a direct connection between the tanker movement and the polluted waterway, but the two developments place local water management and the maintenance of public water channels in the same civic context.
The Kuppethazham-Kumbappillithodu cleanup is being carried out through a mix of ward-level leadership, employment-guarantee labour, farmer participation and community support. No formal funding source or institutional restoration plan was identified in the report. The immediate task is to remove the vegetation and waste blocking the waterway, while the project’s completion will depend on the pace of manual and machine-assisted clearing.
Panchayat members Reji Illikkaparambil and A.K. Ramesh, CPI(M) local secretary I.V. Shaji, Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad activist Professor P.R. Raghavan, Professor K.R. Narayanan, K.E. Jose, Sheeja Viswanathan, Subhadra Ramakrishnan, Smitha Johnny and Aji Narayanan also addressed the meeting. The next stated milestone is the continuation and completion of the community-supported cleaning work.
