THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the state government sanctioned Rs 8 crore four months ago to end waterlogging issue on the Kallattumukku-Kamaleswaram road of the Attakulangara-Thiruvallam stretch, the situation remains the same as huge potholes surfaced following incessant rain. The lack of a proper drainage system is the main reason for the issue. The construction of drains on either side of the road to let rainwater flow into the river is moving at a snail’s pace with more than half the work still pending. The work has been completed only on 200m of the 1-km stretch.
According to Public Works Department (PWD) officials, the road can be repaired only after completing the construction of the drains. They said frequent waterlogging on the stretch is the presence of the capillary water.
The huge potholes on the road are giving nightmares to motorists. Though the previous government had sanctioned the work on raising the height of the road and cleaning up drains, no progress has been made so far. The 4.23km stretch, which connects the MG Road with the NH-66 bypass, is used by tourists to travel to Kovalam from East Fort after visiting Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.
“The work is going on at a very slow pace. During rain, the road will be inundated with water making travel difficult for two-wheelers. Though the PWD carried out patchwork in some sections of the road near Kamaleswaram, capillary water causes waterlogging in many areas. So, we are at the receiving end, and the government should take immediate steps to resolve it,” said P Ramesh Kumar, a resident.
Since it is a low-lying area, rainwater from Manacaud and other areas flows towards Kallattumukku, causing waterlogging. The residents have been battling the issue for the past 25 years.
Completion expected in March 2023
Two days ago, a team led by PWD chief engineer (Roads) Ajith Ramachandran visited the site and tried to flush out capillary water using a pump. Frequent rain has made job difficult as more water remains on the road surface. The officials said they couldn’t carry out work by stopping traffic on the stretch. However, the department plans to carry out temporary repair.
“We are waiting for rain to subside. The amount of capillary water is so much that we need to pump it out at least twice a day. To ensure the speedy completion of the work, we are pumping out the capillary water and carrying out the construction of the drain, simultaneously.
We expect the work to be completed by March next year,” said Ajith.