THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Owing to incessant rain on Thursday, the third shutter of Aruvikkara dam was opened by 30cm at 5am on Friday. However, as rain persisted in the catchment area, the shutter later had to be raised up to 60cm.The unprecedented rainfall also resulted in flooding in many parts of the city. The bund colony along the banks of Kannammoola Thodu, Kazhakoottam, places in Anayara and other low-lying areas were inundated.
In the Ulloor region as well, the canal overflowed, with water entering houses and submerging the roads. The Pattom- Kannammoola stretch often sees inundation during heavy rain. A bund separating Anamugham Thodu from Amayizhanjan Thodu, which leads to Akkulam lake, has been cited as the major reason for the rising water level in the stretch during rain.
Mayor K Sreekumar said that the second phase of cleaning Amayizhanjan canal will solve the issue. “The waste dumped under the bridge in Anamugham obstructs the pathway. We have cleaned Amayizhanjan canal till Pattoor. From Pattoor to Akkulam, we have a separate phase worth Rs 2 crore.
The cleaning will soon get under way,” he said.The flooding of the bypass road near Technopark is also a longstanding issue. With the construction also under way, the road here resembles a swamp during rain. The drains along the bypass stretch are blocked in many places due to construction works.