Alappuzha: The network of canals that meander through Alappuzha town has earned it the name ‘Venice of the East’. The canals that once attracted traders and travelers lost their glory over the years and became drains overgrown with weeds. Alappuzha municipality has come up with the idea of floating gardens on the canals in order to clean and revitalize the canals.
P.S.M. Hussain, the vice-chairman of the Alappuzha municipality, said that the work of two floating gardens had already begun on the Commercial Canal. ‘We are doing it on an experimental basis. In the initial phase, we plan to cultivate marigold flowers with an eye on Onam. Later, sunflowers and vegetables will be cultivated. If successful, the project will be extended to other canals in the municipal area. It will change the face of Alappuzha town and attract tourists,’ Mr. Hussain said.
The gardens are being constructed on floating rafts made of coir geotextiles and nets. The seedlings will be planted on a bed of degraded water hyacinth and mud. ‘Using aquatic weeds will minimize its impact on the water bodies. There is also no need to water the plants and apply fertilizer in this method,’ Mr. Hussain said.
Two young farmers, Sujith and Ajith from Kanjikuzhy, have been appointed by the municipality to oversee the project.
The Alappuzha canal rejuvenation project had been sanctioned with Rs 108 crore by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The work, which began in February 2019, will be completed in four phases. The first phase of the project consisted of cleaning and deepening nine major canals – Vade Canal, Commercial Canal, West Junction Canal, East Junction Canal, Uppootti Canal, Murinjapuzha Thodu, Kottaram Thodu, Alappuzha-Sherthala (AS) Canal, and Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha Canal—was completed at a cost of Rs 39 crore.
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