The city continues to grapple with the vexing problem of flooding on arterial roads during monsoon despite urban planners drawing up several Central and State projects.
The civic authorities are yet to adopt a mechanism to prevent flooding. For the record, the defunct Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), which was financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), had a ₹30-crore urban drainage component.
“Unfortunately, the project remains incomplete for various reasons including protests by local people against the construction of the drain,” said K. Narayanan, former KSUDP project manager.
Now, the corporation has secured a ₹41.43-crore project under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut). As many as 10 schemes have been envisaged under the stormwater drainage component. The share of the corporation will be 20%, while the State will bear 30% of the cost. The rest will be contributed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Multiple reasons have been cited for the delay in the execution of the project. “Unless the State government constitutes a project implementation unit for the city, the project will be delayed further,” Mr. Narayanan said.
He added that stormwater should reach either Conolly canal or Arabian Sea for flood menace to end in the city. It should be implemented in two stages with secondary drains and inlets connected to Elathur-Kallai canal and the construction of drainage connecting the Arabian sea.
Swampy places
The National Highway 66 (Kannur Road) being a ridge of the city, swampy areas get submerged during the rainy season. The city also slopes towards the Kallai river, Arabian Sea, and Conolly canal.
Meanwhile, the construction of a 100-metre drainage is in progress on the busy Mavoor Road. The ₹10-crore project was previously envisaged under the KSUDP. Under the Amrut project, pipelines are being laid from Mavoor Road via Azhakodi temple to Conolly canal.
The flooding of the 1-km Peoples Road is also expected to be addressed. Accordingly, a drainage is being constructed at a cost of ₹5.5 crore. However, the construction work at three different sections is causing inconvenience to residents. Now, the work is in progress in the Karaparmba Junction section.