Fixing Chengal Thodu is key to resolving Cochin airport’s waterlogging

The recurrence of heavy flooding in Cochin airport, despite all corrective measures taken after last year’s flood, begs the question as to whether enough has been done to remedy the situation.
Passengers of IndiGo Flight from Abu Dhabi, the first to touch down after CIAL resumed operations, at the arrival lounge on Sunday. (Photo | Arun Angela)
Passengers of IndiGo Flight from Abu Dhabi, the first to touch down after CIAL resumed operations, at the arrival lounge on Sunday. (Photo | Arun Angela)

KOCHI: Despite Cochin International Airport being undoubtedly a vital hub for the movement of lakhs of tourists, apart from domestic and international passengers in and out of central Kerala, we have seen the airport grinding to a halt with the onset of monsoon for two years in a row. The airport’s shutdown has thrown life out of gear for thousands of people.

The recurrence of heavy flooding in the airstrip and tarmac, despite all corrective measures taken after last year’s flood, begs the question as to whether enough has been done to remedy the situation.

Residents of Thuravunkara and Kanjoor areas near the airport squarely blame the blocking of Chengal Thodu during the airport construction for the disaster that they are being put through. “Our area gets flooded only when the Chengal Thodu is in spate. The water gushing through the stream was totally blocked for the airport construction. Though diversion canals have been proposed, nothing has been implemented so far,” said Varghese, a resident of Thuravunkara.

Deepening the crisis of the nearly 500 families in Thuravunkara near Nedumbassery, the stretch of road leading from their place to Kanjoor was totally  damaged in the recent flood.

“The whole area of Thuravunkara was flooded till Friday morning. In the heavy rain, the only road that connects us to the nearest town in Kanjoor, where relief camps have been set up, has been damaged. If it is not repaired soon, we will be stranded in our homes,” said Vinoj K V, resident of Thuravunkara.

Residents in the neighbouring areas of Nedumbassery have appealed for appropriate measures such as the construction of bunds or canals to regulate the flow of water from the Periyar river into Chengal Thodu.

“The water from the Chengal stream is flooding the whole area and even the international airport. And there was a proposal to widen the canal and divert water to Manjali Thodu. However, there has been no follow-up action in  this regard so far,” said Varghese.

Earlier, CIAL had taken the onus of regulating the stream’s flow and had come up with a master plan to build a regulator and a bridge at the mouth of Chengal Thodu, which flows just 500 metres away from the airport, to regulate the inflow of water from the Periyar.

CIAL had also proposed the construction of four connectivity bridges in the neighbouring localities of Chengal, Thuravankara and Kanjoor, as several people were isolated in the floods.

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