When the shutters of the Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki reservoir were opened following the 2018 floods, it altered the landscape of the Cheruthoni town, besides changing the course of the Periyar river downstream. Overnight, the water flow had changed the riverbed and the landmarks on the banks.
Huge boulders filled the river and the main road connecting the town and Kattappana was washed away.
It is a huge task before the district administration to restore the river and the riverbed back to their glory.
The district Nirmithi Kendra has now begun work to blast the rocks and remove them. The huge quantity of granite would be used for construction purposes at the government level, District Collector H. Dinesan told The Hindu.
He said restoring the river course was the main task as the rocks were hampering the natural flow of water. In addition to the rocks on the river, the rocks on the Karimaban roadside too would be blasted and removed as they posed a threat to traffic.
Panel formed
He said that a committee comprising the District Geologist and officials of the Nirmithi Kendra had been formed to oversee the work as the landscape needed be restored to the maximum.
A bus stand in the town close to the riverbank had also been washed away and huge effort was needed to restore it.
Mr. Dinesan said after restoring the natural water flow, discussions would be held with different agencies on taking up beautification works.
Much effort needed
P.L. Nizamudeen, a local journalist, said Cheruthoni, the first town downstream of the Idukki reservoir, was so much affected by the water flow. A colony on a small islet on the river was also rendered uninhabitable by the floods, he said. The course of the river from Idukki arch dam to the Cheruthoni town was nearly a kilometre, Mr. Nizamudeen said, adding that much work was needed to restore the landscape of Cheruthoni.
