KOCHI: Krishnakumar KVP, the Ernakulam South councillor, sounded exhausted even before the conversation could begin. Not because he has run out of things to say about the Mullassery Canal project, but because he has had to repeat the same story for years now.
“Mullassery Canal’s story,” the councillor said, “is one of delays, flooding and bureaucratic paralysis. Nothing has changed. Except for deadlines.”
First envisioned in 2020 as a “three-month project” to tackle urban flooding, the canal’s rejuvenation has now dragged on for nearly six years. The 1.3km-long canal, linking Perandoor Canal to the backwaters, once drained stormwater with ease. But over the years, large portions were covered with concrete slabs to make way for roads, parking spaces and commercial stretches.
The narrowing of the canal choked its carrying capacity, worsening flooding near KSRTC stand and Ernakulam Junction railway station. After the devastating 2019 floods, authorities launched Operation Breakthrough and declared the restoration of the Mullasserry Canal a priority. But the project soon descended into delays and disputes.
“First came protests from traders over relocation. Then the workers stumbled upon a tangled maze of underground utilities that had not been properly mapped. The project suffered mainly because there was no coordination between agencies,” Krishnakumar highlighted.
Contractors, too, were reluctant to take up the work initially. In 2022, K S Bijli, who had led canal work in Paravoor, stepped in. “But nothing has been as complex as the Mullassery work,” he told TNIE.
Of the canal’s 829m stretch currently under restoration, work up to Chittoor Road was completed using the cast-in-situ method. Now, authorities say the remaining 175m will be restored within six to eight months using pre-cast technology, where structures are cast off-site and installed directly to minimise excavation.
“The remaining work will be carried out in three phases, including stretches near MG Road and A K Seshadri Road,” an official said. However, he admits the project is unlikely to be completed before monsoon intensifies.