പാർവതി പുത്തനാർ,നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തിയ മാണിക്യം-parvathy puthanar, lost heritage in trivandrum

Parvati Puthannar (Malayalam: പാർവതി പുത്തനാർ) is a man-made canal that runs through the west coast of the Trivandrum District. It was named after Rani Parvathi Bai who was the reigning Queen of Travancore during the time it was created. "Puthannar" in Malayalam means "the new river". It was created primarily for connecting the Travancore capital to Kadinamkulam, the Vamanapuram River and finally to Kochi. This canal also has access to the King's boat landing place, Vallakadavu, where the King's boathouse is located. It starts from the Kadinamkulam Lake in the north and flows south-east, parallel to the Trivandrum coast. It finally ends in a small delta near Poonthura and empties into the Arabian Sea. The delta formed by Parvathi Puthannar is known as Poonthura Pozhi. At first its water was very clear and fresher than any river or other man-made canal in India. At that time Travancore was the only hygienic, clean city in India. However, Parvathi Puthannar is now polluted and most portions are not navigable, due to pollution and weeds. Parvathi Puthannar was recently declared a part of the West Coast Canal which forms the Waterway 3 (NW-III) With the introduction of the rail network and better roads, the canal fell into disuse, and today has deteriorated into one of the most polluted water bodies in the state. Encroachments on many of its stretches have further narrowed it down. In fact, clearing the encroachments is one of the big challenges in reviving the canal. Through its rejuvenation, the government also proposes to link various tourist spots in the district like Kovalam and Akkulam, forming a tourism circuit.As part of the canal project, there is also a plan to augment the two narrow tunnels at Varkala for accommodating larger vessels in the future. facebook page   / trivandrum-pulse-100426731905771   instagram link   / trivandrumpulse2020   #trivandrum#parvathyputhanar#kovalam#akkulam#veli#tourism#backwater#canal#varkala#thiruvananthapuram#trivandrumpulse#travancore#royal