West Kochi residents seek scientific planning to prevent waterlogging

KOCHI: The Greater Cochin Development Watch (GCDW), an advocacy group campaigning for the balanced development of Kochi, has requested a master plan to be prepared to find a permanent solution to waterlogging that continues to be a constant curse to the residents of West Kochi. 

“Various people’s representatives and the district collector were informed about the plight of people staying here. Yet no action has been taken. During the pre-monsoon rain, several houses here were flooded,” said Stanly Paulose, president of GCDW. The NGO assessed that West Kochi has now become a neglected area while all development projects are being commissioned beyond the Thoppumpady bridge.
The Rameswaram-Kalvathy canal, which is over 5 kilometre long and 50 meters wide, is not cleaned regularly by the authorities, alleged Paulose. 

“If the cleaning is done, there would be some relief from waterlogging in the area,” he said. The group highlights that the unscientific construction of the canals and the structure of the land, which is parallel to the sea level, are the main causes of waterlogging  The projects undertaken by the Cochin Smart Mission to resolve the issue have also failed, said Paulose.  The GCDW also requested to conduct a meeting of councillors and community development organisations in the West Kochi area to study the issues in-depth and take scientific action.