KOCHI: Kochiites woke up to waterlogged pathways on Tuesday as heavy rain lashed the city overnight. Several low-lying areas in the city and its suburbs were left inundated.
Regions like Edappally Toll, V R Thankappan Road in Kalamassery, Stadium Link Road in Kaloor, and Petta witnessed heavy waterlogging.
“V R Thankappan Road and the adjacent areas were flooded. This issue has been persisting for five years now. Water from the nearby canal entered around 20 houses last night,” said Siyad V P, a local resident.
He said rainwater from Thrikkakara, Cusat and Changampuzha Nagar is being directed to the narrow Pottachal canal, which is beyond its capacity. “That’s the reason for waterlogging. Though the Rebuild Pottachal project under Kalamassery MLA and Minister P Rajeeve had reached the tendering process, the project now lies abandoned,” he said.
Similar was the situation near the Stadium Link Road and along the national highway in the Edappally region.
“The areas near the IMA Hall (in Kaloor) are always prone to flooding. Rainwater from Azad Road, North Janatha Road, and the nearby regions drains through the adjacent canal and floods the low-lying region. On Tuesday, there was almost knee-deep water in the morning. It drained off only after around four hours,” said Glen D Rozario, a local resident.
In Petta, flooding led to a taxi falling into an open drain along a waterlogged road.
“Surprisingly, places along M G Road and Banerji Road, High Court junction or even the KSRTC bus station did not face much waterlogging on Tuesday.
I believe this is a positive result of the efforts made as part of Operation Breakthrough by the district administration and other authorities,” said Renjith Thampi, a social activist.