A graveyard made of waste in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following an extensive search lasting 46 hours to locate sanitation worker Joy, who went missing on July 13 in the Amayizhanchan canal that runs under the rails near the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station, the rescue team pulled out the 42-year-old’s body from the filth that lay blocking the canal.

The scuba team of the Fire and Rescue Services Department arrived the same day Joy went missing, but could begin their work only by the next morning due to various complications. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Navy, too, arrived, and the search continued with the corporation workers and local people also joining in.

The dirt-laden canal track was netted at several spots to scoop out plastic waste. Some among the scuba team did not even wear gloves, probably not expecting a deep swim in the wastewater. They were later provided proper gear.

Finally, after nearly two nights of hunt, the rescue workers spotted Joy’s body stuck in a pile of waste in the Thakarapparambu area. They were able to do so only after clearing a gigantic amount of waste.

Both the tragic accident and the long search made one thing clear — the horrible state of the city’s waste management system. And the canal, choking with waste, was at the centre of it all.

In 2015, Operation Anantha promised to flush out effluents and waste from the canal and smoothen its flow. However, the project struck dead end and the canal remained a garbage dumping yard.

During the lockdown period, there was another effort to clean it. This time, Rs 1 crore was allocated for the pre-monsoon cleaning drives that aimed to prevent flooding of low-lying areas in Thampanoor. This too fizzled out.

Amayizhanchan canal in Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala: Railway Division denies responsibility for waste management at Amayizhanchan canal
Now, a blame game has begun among the Railways, the corporation and the irrigation department. The Railways says the accident was a natural fallout of indiscriminate waste dumping on the stretch managed by the corporation. The latter blamed the Railways.