Thiruvananthapuram: A Kerala government plan to collect sand deposited in the state’s dams will not be detrimental to the ecosystem. The plan is to suck out the silt with a special pump and move it straightly to the processing yards where the sand is washed off the dirt.
No chemical cleansers will be used anywhere in the process. Plastic and glass objects collected from the lake beds will also be separated and recycled, according to the plan approved by a top level meeting chaired by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.
The government will make available land on lease to start processing yards. The reclaimed sand will be packaged and sold. The muddy silt will be sold to industries such as tile and brick as raw material.
All care will be taken to prevent the mud or any other pollutants flowing back to the reservoirs as the project includes even reservoirs that supply drinking water. The action plan has been prepared after consultation with all government departments concerned.
A technical committee and a high-power committee comprising officials from all departments will monitor the program. The government also plans to conduct an ecological impact study.
The cabinet has decided to include reservoirs manned by the Kerala State Electricity Board as suggested by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The plan was approved by a meeting chaired by Pinarayi after the cabinet meeting. The water resources minister, the forest minister, the electricity minister and the finance minister and the chief secretary were part of the meeting.
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