Mullassery canal to be dredged and deepened to prevent flooding
KOCHI: As part of the third phase of the Operation Breakthrough, Mullassery canal from TD Road to the backwaters in the west will be dredged and deepened. The main aim is to remove the mud as a precautionary measure before monsoon season begins, to prevent flooding.
The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar on Wednesday which was attended by district Collector Jafer Malik, standing committee chairpersons Sunita Dixon and T K Ashraf, councillor Sudha Dileep Kumar, GCDA secretary Abdul Malik and officials from various departments.
The progress report on Operation Breakthrough project was presented by Baji Chandran, chairman of the technical committee. Renovation of the canal near the KSRTC bus stand on Chittoor Road is almost complete.
The current obstacle for renovation are the underground pipes passing through the canal. The meeting also decided to allot Rs 1.39 crore for replacing drinking water pipes of Kerala Water Authority. The total cost of replacing the pipes passing through the canal will come to around Rs 3.7 crore. For this, Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) will be approached.
As part of the renovation of the canal, vendors on Fashion Street were rehabilitated near Ambedkar Stadium. The third phase of the renovation of Mullassery Canal began on February 5. Operation Breakthrough is being implemented to address flooding in the city. The irrigation department is spearheading the renovation at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
The waterlogging at South railway station, KSRTC bus stand and MG Road was caused by a blockage in Mullassery canal. It is expected that once the renovation is done, flooding in these areas will be resolved during rainy season. The canal will be widened to four metres and deepened by two-and-a-half metres from the bed level. The canal will be renovated to the point where it joins the lake.