KOCHI: The National Disaster Management Authority has sanctioned Rs 20 crore to prepare a drainage master plan for Kochi city, which has been facing waterlogging issues frequently.
Earlier, Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar, with the help of the Kerala government, had contacted the Dutch Embassy to study the waterlogging issues faced by the city, including the impact of climate change. The embassy tasked its Water Envoy to conduct a site inspection in Kochi and prepare a report.
Royal Haskoningdhv, a Dutch company, was also commissioned by the National Disaster Management Authority to submit a report after studying the climate change and the increase in rainfall that Kochi may witness over the next 25 years.
On Tuesday, Royal Haskoningdhv’s report was discussed in the presence of the Dutch Water Envoy, the mayor and the district collector. Based on the report, it was decided to allocate Rs 20 crore for the drainage master plan and related activities for the city, as requested by the mayor.
The corporation will conduct a workshop to discuss the report submitted to the Central Government.Royal Haskoningdhv representatives, officials of the National Disaster Management Authority, State Disaster Management Authority, engineers and experts in the field will participate in this workshop.