Removal of sediments from rivers found effective in managing floods, says Kerala Water Resources Minister

Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine on Friday said the work undertaken to remove silt and sediments from major rivers in Kerala was found helpful in handling the challenge of floods.

Launching the dredging work in Korappuzha river here, the Minister said the government had made fruitful interventions covering all 44 rivers and entrusting desilting work and associated studies with separate executive engineers.

“We have to continue with this work every year so that the impact of floods can be reduced to a great extent. We carry out this work noticing the unhealthy changes in the course of flow in the case of some rivers,” said Mr. Augustine. He also stressed the need to carry out scientific studies to understand the reasons behind such trends.

On the government laying more emphasis on protection of vulnerable coastal areas from sea erosion, he said Kerala had a huge task of protecting the 574-km coastline. Of that hotspots would come to around 65 km, where protective measures should be taken to ensure the safety of houses and residents, he said.

“We have already identified 10 hotspots in Kerala for taking immediate measures for proper fortification work. Kappad in Kozhikode has also been included in the list of hotspots for fortification work,” said Mr. Augustine. According to him, the Kappad project will be finalised soon after obtaining the research report from the National Centre for Coastal Research.

On the funds required for the project, the Minister said the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) had already sanctioned ₹1,500 crore to support works. “The expected cost of the fortification project on completion is ₹5,400 crore. Since the safety of coastal areas is a priority area of the government, all works will be completed in time,” he said.

Forests Minister A.K. Saseendran and Kanathil Jameela, MLA, were present at the inaugural event. Officials expressed hope that the dredging work, which was launched after a two-decade-long wait, could be completed in 18 months.