Kerala invokes Disaster Act after sanitation worker's death in canal; is it enough?

It took the tragic death of a 47-year-old sanitation worker for all the stakeholders in waste management in Kerala's capital city to take action on a war footing to address the waterlogging and flooding issues primarily caused by waste mismanagement.

After the horrific drowning of N Joy in the highly polluted, waste-filled city canal, the high-level meeting called by Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to implement various sections of the Disaster Management Act to ensure a more scientific waste management and prevent related violations.

The incident caused significant uproar among civil society groups, and the blame game between the city corporation and the railways regarding waste management responsibilities has worsened the situation prompting the government to invoke the disaster management act.

Disaster Management Act

A press release after the high-level meeting read: “The Disaster Management Act will be used for overseeing and smoothly managing activities to resolve the city's waste problem. Strict actions will be taken to discourage the use of prohibited plastic products. Measures such as cancelling the registration of vehicles dumping waste on public roads and water bodies will be implemented.”

A meeting involving the state government, city corporation, and railways became necessary due to a standoff between the corporation and the railways over the responsibility of cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal, as a portion of the canal runs beneath the railway station as a tunnel.

The high court intervened, urging the government to take action, leading to the convening of this crucial meeting after the death of sanitation worker, Joy. Ministers of local self-government, public works, labour, food, sports and the railway, health, and water resources departments, along with concerned MLAs and the mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, participated in the online meeting. Senior officials, including the chief secretary and the railway divisional manager, were also present.

The turtle crawling canal

The ‘Amayizhanchan’ Thodu, a 5.40-kilometer-long canal, runs through the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. Originally constructed as a stormwater canal, it helped prevent flooding in the early 20th century.

As the city expanded, additional canals and a proper drainage system were developed. Despite these changes, this city canal which has 30 meters of maximum width remains the primary waterway that prevents the city from flooding.

Amayizhanchan Thodu, which translates to "turtle crawling canal" in Malayalam, has various explanations for its name. One version suggests that the name reflects the slow movement of the urban wastewater that flows through it. Another theory is that turtles, which are known to breed in such environments, contributed to the name when the canal became a wastewater outlet.

According to historian M G Sasibhooshan, Amayizhanchan Thodu was a significant water source for Thiruvananthapuram in the early 1930s. It was used to divert excess water brought to the city from the Aruvikkara irrigation project. Additionally, Pattom Canal and Ulloor Canal, which were essentially the same canal split into different sections, also contributed to the city's water management.

After the construction of the Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, the canal passes beneath the railway track through a tunnel. This tunnel, built with several manholes along the track and railway land, allows the canal to continue its flow under the station.

As per the records of the state irrigation department, Pattom Thodu, Ulloor Thodu, and Pazhavangadi Thodu converge near the upstream side of Kannanmoola Bridge, after which the watercourse is known as Amayizhanchan Thodu. This thodu (canal) which stretches to 5.40 km, has an average width of 20 to 30 meters, ending at Aakkulam Lake.

Urban waste

For the past three to four decades, all these canals and the small river Parvathiputhanaar in the capital city have been synonymous with urban waste. This pollution is widely blamed for the flash floods that occur in Thiruvananthapuram every monsoon.

The cleaning of the waterbodies first became a priority after the city began experiencing frequent flooding every monsoon since the late 1980s, as urban development outpaced the city's capacity. The corporation launched several initiatives to clean up the canals, including Amayizhanchan and Parvathiputhanaar, under a campaign named Operation Anantha, but these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.

Several factors contributed to the failure of these efforts, ranging from the non-cooperation of various private and government entities to the public's reluctance to adopt source-level waste management initiatives.

However, the Amayizhanchan Canal cleaning drive hit a roadblock when the railways did not permit the city corporation to undertake the cleaning within the tunnel section.

Negligence and inaction

The railways' negligence was evident in their disregard for the report prepared by the state irrigation department following the 2021 flash floods. The irrigation department's report stressed the need to keep Amayizhanchan Thodu free of waste and silt for effective floodwater drainage from key areas, including those directly connected to the railway tunnel portion. It also highlighted that rejuvenating Aakkulam Lake is linked to the canal's revitalisation.

Despite sending numerous letters urging the railway authorities to clean the canal, there was no response, said Arya Rajendran, the city mayor. “It was only after the district collector served them a notice to undertake the cleaning that they engaged the slain worker Joy to do the same,” added the mayor.

Joy, who was tasked to clean the canal, was swept away by the wastewater while he was manually removing the plastic waste in the mouth of the tunnel. It took 46 hours of intense and unprecedented rescue efforts to recover his body, which was found about one kilometre from where he was last seen alive in the canal. His body travelled through the tunnel beneath the railway track and was discharged at the other end, opening into another canal.

Joy, was discovered dead, floating among the garbage, just as a Navy team was set to take over the rescue mission, which included a National Disaster Response Force team, Kerala fire and rescue department’s scuba divers, and even robots.

A series of crucial decisions were made during the high-level meeting, including holding the railway and other departments, such as KSRTC, responsible for managing waste generated by the railway station and the bus station on a daily basis. Additionally, forty AI cameras will be installed and linked to the police control room. Strict action will be taken against those caught dumping waste.

After each flood disasters or tragic incidents critical meetings are held to emphasize the urgent need to address the removal of the garbage and silt clogging the city's water bodies. Despite this, previous efforts had failed due to the impracticality of clearing heavily polluted areas like Amayizhanchan Thodu.

The canal tragedy underscores the severe neglect of an issue such as urban water management and the urgent need for innovative, sustainable solutions. Without consistent efforts, current initiatives risk becoming unfulfilled promises. The capital city's flood free existence depends on immediate, coordinated actions to restore natural water flow, requiring more than just penalizing waste throwers.