KOCHI: Blame it on unscientific construction. Though it’s hot outside and there’s hardly any rain, the underpass heading towards the Kumbalam railway station is waterlogged. In fact, it’s a round-the-year phenomenon.
As a result, hundreds of rail passengers have to wade through the flooded path daily to reach the station. Motorists have an especially tough time, thanks to the deep potholes at one side of the ground that lay concealed under the muddy water. Since there are no warning signs, unsuspecting motorists are caught off guard.
“The unscientific construction of the underpass is the main reason for the flooding. The ground level here is lower than the service roads at either end, and the NH authorities have built a drain so that the rain water reaches nearby rivers. However, the drainage is on a low spot. So during high tide, the water flow reverses. This is mainly why the stretch is waterlogged year-round,” rued Bijumon, a resident and autorickshaw driver operating from the nearby Shappupaddy Junction. Often, vehicles hit the hidden deep pits that have formed on one side of the path, he complained.
The residents have called for constructing a bund on the nearby river side and also raising the waterlogged section. “Pedestrians are affected the worst as they have to wade through the muddy water. To avoid this, many use the stairs to reach the NH bypass above and dangerously cross the road before using the staircase at the other end,” said Kala Perumal, who works in a small eatery near the underpass.
Kumbalam panchayat president K S Radhakrishnan said the issue has been persisting for a long time now, and that he has written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) many times. “There is no solution for the waterlogging menace it seems. The NHAI has taken certain steps but to no avail. Unscientific construction has led to this stage,” he said.
When contacted, NHAI authorities promised to lay warning signals, besides arriving at a long-term solution.