KOCHI: Around 10 days ago, a few Kochi residents started a WhatsApp group to stay informed about the activities of Operation Breakthrough, a project launched by the Ernakulam district administration to mitigate the waterlogging issue in the city.
The efforts of the 16-member group, ‘Flood Monitoring Committee’, proved to be a success as officials, too, have joined them, visiting the spots and giving orders to expedite the cleaning operations.
Manoj Kumar, the secretary of the Kerala Merchants’ Chamber and a member of the group, said that the group has helped keep officials, including the Collector and amicus curiae, informed about the status of the work and where operations are currently underway.
“Recently, we sent pictures of a canal near Lisie Hospital, where a huge amount of waste had accumulated, hindering the flow. Collector N S K Umesh visited the spot, and an order was issued directing the railway to clean the culvert,” Manoj said.
The committee is also conducting regular meetings to discuss and assess the status and progress of the work in different parts of the city.
“Wherever there is a block, we will inform the authorities of the location and send pictures. This way, they can take steps to have it cleared soon. Once we became part of Operation Breakthrough, we could also get the details of the activities under this project,” he added.
Going ahead, the committee intends to bring forth its suggestions for keeping the city clean and avoiding waterlogging due to poor waste management.
“There are many mistakes in the construction of slabs. The corporation should rectify it. Also, the city has a floating population of around five lakhs daily. Thus it is not possible to create a bin-less culture here. Without bins, these tourists will have to throw plastic waste on streets and canals, creating more trouble. Therefore, we would suggest setting up waste bins in the city,” Manoj said.
Manoj added that the ‘flood monitoring committee is a group of the victims of the flash floods in the city and some activists. “Most of our members are merchants. Our loss during the 2018 floods was around Rs 100 crores. We decided to work together towards solving the waterlogging issues in the city,” Manoj added.