Kochi Wetland Reclamation Complaint Filed Despite Official Stop Memo
A serious complaint regarding the illegal reclamation of wetlands has been formally submitted to the district collector in Kochi. The complaint, filed by former Edakochi South councillor Abhilash Thoppil, highlights ongoing violations where wetland near the Edakochi village office is being systematically filled, blatantly disregarding a stop memo previously issued by revenue officials.
Official Intervention Ignored
Thoppil stated that the Fort Kochi sub-collector had intervened earlier and issued a stop memo to halt the reclamation activities. However, the same wetland continues to be filled without any hesitation or respect for the official directive. Despite providing video evidence and detailed information about the land filling to authorities, neither the police nor the revenue department has taken effective action to stop the illegal activity, as alleged in the complaint.
Scale and Duration of the Violation
For the past month, approximately 2.5 acres of wetland located near Sabarmati Junction on Edakochi Palamuttam Road has been continuously filled. More than half of this wetland area has already been reclaimed. Although revenue records indicate that about 50 cents of this land is classified as residential land (purayidam), the area is actually filled with water. Exploiting this classification, the entire wetland is being systematically filled under the guise of residential land development.
Additional Environmental Damage
In addition to the wetland filling, approximately 18 cents of a government poramboke canal that existed in this area has also been filled up. This further exacerbates the environmental damage and violates regulations protecting such water bodies.
Covert Operations and Unauthorized Construction
The filling activities are currently being carried out behind a massive 15-foot-high wall constructed around the wetland. This wall has been built in such a manner that the illegal activities cannot be seen from outside, effectively hiding them from public view. The corporation has clarified that this wall was constructed without any permission, as noted in the complaint.
Materials Used for Filling
Large quantities of construction debris and waste are being used for the filling process. This not only constitutes illegal dumping but also poses potential environmental and health hazards to the surrounding area.
The complaint underscores a critical failure in enforcement mechanisms, where official directives are being ignored, and illegal activities continue unabated despite clear evidence and formal complaints. The situation raises serious concerns about wetland conservation and regulatory compliance in Kochi.
