Trichy: A mobile application was launched on Thursday to encourage public participation in the ongoing civic efforts to revive the Uyyakondan canal, a Chola-era distributary of Cauvery passing through Trichy that irrigates 32,700 acres of cultivable land. The android application was created by a Coimbatore-based startup to create awareness and share information about cleanliness drives planned in the canal to revive the water body which is facing pollution.Citizens for Uyyakondan, a civic group comprising people from various walks of life, has been taking up public campaigns to beautify Uyyakondan since January and has thus far completed 44 weeks in redeveloping the contour canal. Climate Smart Technologies, also based in Coimbatore, has come forward to technically support the movement. Named ‘Save Uyyakondan’, the application which will be provided free of cost to the group will enable volunteers to share information about the canal with the public and on social media platforms. It will also be a unique facility to record the weekly cleanliness activities. “People participating in the awareness drives can share photographs in the app. YouTube videos can be accessed and models successful in reviving water bodies across the world are available to emulate and carry forward the movement for a good cause,” Jeevanandhan Duraisamy, founder of Climate Smart Technologies, said. Launching the application on Thursday, city corporation commissioner N Ravichandran said that such technology support was vital for ensuring behavioural change.“Public support is mandatory for any cleanliness movement or project to succeed and address the key objectives. Since Trichy corporation has also been involved in redeveloping the Uyyakondan canal, with such efforts the water body would soon become an attractive recreational spot in the city,” he added. As the 8-km stretch of the canal passing through the city has been facing pollution threats from residents dumping solid and liquid waste, organisers from Citizens for Uyyakondan group said that the application would attract tech-savvy youngsters to revive the water body.

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