KOCHI: A two-page statement submitted by the Kochi corporation secretary before the Kerala high court regarding the reasons for frequent flooding in the city has stated that since buildings continue to crop up due to rapid urbanization shrinking open spaces, there is no room for rainwater to flow out when it pours.
It also stated the need to prepare a drainage master plan and to conduct a study by an expert committee.
The court had directed Kochi corporation to inform its views on the suggestions in the report filed by the superintending engineer of Minor Irrigation, who heads the Operation Breakthrough team, on the steps taken to decongest the canals in Kochi. At Panampilly Nagar, hectares of low-lying areas were converted into many plots without conducting any environment impact assessment years ago and permissions were given to construct houses there. This is the reason for waterlogging there, the report stated.
The report also gives details regarding the ogoing pre-monsoon cleaning works being carried out in drainages and canals.
“Paddy fields were there along the sides of all major and minor canals, meandering through the heart of the city. The surface soil examined in many places has revealed that it was once a paddy field. Most parts of Kochi city are like Alappuzha, which is plain. The flooding situation is getting intensified as no space is available for water to drain off,” states the report.
It also said railway culverts, constructed without studying the depth and width of the canals, need to be reconstructed in proportion to the depth and width of the canals. Water flow is getting obstructed in these culverts. Though the corporation is carrying out jetting, water is not completely flowing due to its small sizes, states the report. A proposal for the drainage master plan will be placed before the council for a permanent solution to the issue.
“There are 33 railway culverts and the size of them is small. Railways should reconstruct these culverts to address waterlogging issues in the area. There is severe waterlogging in the area where the railway line is divided into two -- towards Kottayam and Alappuzha stretch. The recurring waterlogging issues are causing financial burden on the local body. The working hours of officials and other workers are getting affected as they all have to concentrate on the issue. Other works are getting delayed due to this,” a corporation official said.
