With the puncha harvest in Kuttanad completed, the Irrigation Department will open the shutters of the Thanneermukkom bund on Friday.
Officials said the department would open all shutters in a phased manner, allowing the entry of saltwater into Kuttanad.
Earlier, the delay in the opening of the shutters caused by a late harvest of paddy has invited the wrath of fishermen and environmentalists.
Meanwhile, District Collector M. Anjana has directed the Irrigation Department to remove sediments and soil from the upstream of the Thottappally spillway to ensure smooth flow of water from the Kuttanad region.
Officials said four lakh cubic metres of soil would be removed by dredging the 11-km-long channel.
Apart from this, various feeder canals of the National Waterway will be dredged and deepened.
Officials with the Irrigation Department said that dredging of feeder canals in Kuttanad had already been started.
