A high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Tuesday decided to take up the projects included in the Kuttanad package immediately and complete them on time.
The projects to be implemented include those for enhancing the income of farmers, flood control and equipping the Vembanad lake ecosystem to absorb the environmental impact.
Room for the River
One of the major recommendations in the package is the ‘Room for the River’ project that is designed on the Dutch model. It envisages cleaning up of the canals in the Kuttanad region using the participatory model. The leading channel to the Thottapally spillway will be deepened and widened, and three flood regulators would be installed on the river Pampa.
Other sub projects include completion of phase 2 and 3 of the Alappuzha-Changanassery (AC) canal, construction of the outer bunds of the farmlands in Kuttanad, declaration of Kuttanad as a special agricultural zone, a new crop calendar for the region, timely supply of seeds to farmers, and installation of traditional water drawing mechanisms with submersible pumps.
The project also seeks to construct raised sheds for animals in flood-prone panchayats, modernisation of the duck farm at Niranam, promotion of inland fisheries, measures to control pollution from houseboats, and completion of the Neerettupuram drinking water supply scheme.
The Industries Department is also planning to establish an integrated rice park at Kuttanad as part of the package.
Mr. Vijayan called on officials to coordinate activities for implementation of the package.
