Complaints over dredging in Korapuzha: Assistant Collector to lead expert team

An expert committee led by Assistant Collector S. Mohanapriya has been appointed to look into complaints over the dredging works in the Korapuzha river. The move follows complaints by residents and political parties alleging that sand was being illegally extracted and sludge was dumped unscientifically in nearby areas.

According to official sources, the committee will also include an executive engineer from the Irrigation department, the tehsildar, and officials from the Department of Geology. It has been asked to submit a report by February 21, and the dredging works will be halted until then.

The work conducted by the Irrigation department covers the stretch between the Korapuzha estuary and the Korapuzha railway bridge. It began in 2022. The attempt is to remove around two lakh cubic metres of soil, which has been posing a problem for fishing boats and leading to flooding in nearby areas. The accumulation of silt has also been reducing the water flow in the river. The work is being carried out at a depth of three-and-a-half metres and a width of 100 to 140 metres from the sea level, and a length of 1,600 metres from the mouth of the estuary to the east.

However, residents claim that sand is being indiscriminately extracted from the river. They also allege that the sludge generated after the removal of sand is being dumped in nearby areas. Residents and political leaders claim that water levels in open wells in the area has been dwindling saline water is found in some of the water sources.

The work had been stopped after the onset of the monsoon. When it resumed, residents and political leaders raised complaints. Subsequently, Minister for Forest and Wildlife A. K. Saseendran, who is also the local MLA, and District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh recently held a meeting to discuss the issue.