Kannur: The residents whose land will be acquired for the construction of the artificial canal for arterial inland waterways from Mahe to Valapattanam are now staging a strong protest.
People are protesting against the project that will displace residents, cause scarcity of drinking water and create environmental destruction and destruction of agricultural lands. They are instead asking the government to implement the Coastal Waterways project through the sea. Many doubt, this project is being implemented for acquiring land to serve the interest of a few people with vested interest.
The protest of several residents and members of various groups from panchayats and the Panoor municipality against the plan to construct the artificial canal is gaining strength in Kannur.
The canals for the waterway is proposed to be created in three uncut portions along the 57-km Mahe-Valapattanam stretch of the West Coast Canal, the arterial inland waterway of the State. Around 26 km of artificial canals are being constructed to provide waterway connectivity in Trippangottur, Peringalam, Panoor, Mokeri, Payyannur and Thalassery villages, and to link the Ancharakandi river to the Valapattanam river in Kannur.
According to reports, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) which was done as part of the National Waterways project in 1963, excluded Kannur and Kasaragod stating that it would harm the environment. But the State government is accused of hiding these facts and trying to construct the artificial waterway now, for which no EIA was done.
Reports also hint at few drawbacks of the artificial canal. The canal should hold a minimum of 2.2 metres of water to drive a boat. However, whether it is possible to maintain this water level at all times and from where the water will come to the canal is not clear. There is a proposal to dig a canal that is 60-metres wide and about five-metres deep. The alignment is passing through residential areas and wetlands. This may affect the groundwater and will turn it saline as the sea is about 1.5 km from the proposed area.
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