The recurring incidents of river bank erosion have doubled the safety concerns of people close to the most vulnerable river banks in Kozhikode.
With the onset of monsoon, the worst-hit are those living along the Kuttiyadi river and its tributaries where the retaining walls are yet to be fortified or even built, for ensuring proper protection.
People settled near the banks of Iruvazhinji river, a tributary of Chalippuzha, are also facing the same crisis. Apart from the loss of cropped areas, they fear that their residential areas might cave in. Residents along the Chaliyar river, mainly those settled around Kalppalli area in Mavoor, have also raised the same concerns.
“If there is encroachment, the Revenue department can ignore our concerns. We seek effective mitigation measures against recurring incidents,” said C.N. Babu, a local resident from Kuttiyadi. He added that requests to construct retaining walls in worst-affected areas such as Puthenpeedika and Valiyapalam remain ignored.
River management fund
Some of the residents from Maruthonkara village point out that the river management fund is yet to be used for conservation of the deteriorating riverbank, which has already caved in at multiple locations. They are now awaiting a favourable action after submitting a memorandum to the State ministers concerned and the people’s representatives.
Though the coir-based geotextile has come as a help to shore up some of the worst-hit stretches of Vishnumangalam river in Kozhikode, a similar method is yet to be proposed in many other vulnerable locations. Many local bodies are also reluctant to use their own funds, expecting contributions from other government sources.
Meanwhile, T.K.A. Azeez, president of Malampuzha River Protection Committee, said that the local bodies can easily club their river conservation projects rather than waiting for the allotment of river management fund. “We have done such a project for the Mampuzha river with the cooperation of Perumanna, Peruvayal, and Olavanna panchayats. It is a huge success,” he added.
At the same time, officials associated with the river management fund said that the conservation of many vulnerable river banks has been made possible with the timely allocation of funds based on the instructions of the District-level River Management Committee. They also point out that there are demands to cover more areas considering the cave-in of cropped areas.
