KOCHI: With the canals in the city shrinking and turning into drains, waterlogging has become a recurring problem. This is the situation in nearly all residential and commercial areas in the city. Following the heavy rain that lashed the city from Monday night, residents of Panampilly Nagar woke up to water-filled bylanes.
“Not only the entire Thoundayil Road but other areas in Panampilly Nagar also got waterlogged,” said M Ramachandran, a resident of N J K Narayaneeyam Apartments, who couldn’t get out of the building after the ground floor was flooded to a height of one foot. He said Kochi corporation has not carried out the monsoon cleaning drive properly. “Had they done it, waterlogging wouldn’t have been such a big problem. How can the clogged drains carry stormwater?” he asked.
According to him, the residents of the apartment complex had to rent a high-powered pump to clear the water from the ground floor. “But where would the water be pumped out to?” he asked. “If this is the situation now, we don’t know what will happen when the monsoon sets in properly.”
According to D G Suresh, District Secretary, Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations’ Apex Council (EDRAAC), the problem has compounded over the years. “Earlier, waterlogging was not an issue. It was something seen only in the low-lying areas. However, in the past few years, it has become a big issue in the city. The reason is the disappearing canals,” he said.
“Of course, Operation Breakthrough couldn’t achieve its goal since it was not carried out completely. But another major reason behind the waterlogging and flooding happening in the city is the narrowing canals. Nearly all big canals in the city have been encroached upon. The situation is such that in some areas, these have narrowed down to the size of a drain,” he said. Another problem is the culverts.
“Nearly all culverts are made using pipes. So again narrowing and clogging stop the free flow of water. The authorities should have placed box culverts,” said Suresh. According to him, it has become of utmost importance to restore the width and depth of the canals to their earlier size.