Kochi still in grip of waterlogging

KOCHI: For Kochiites‘Operation Breakthrough’ is akin to a means to liberation from the constant waterlogging problem every monsoon. However, even as the works like cleaning of drains, canals and construction of drainages were going on in full swing, Covid-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt. But not everything is okay with the works that have been carried out till now. The recent summer showers yet again brought to light the inept manner in which the works were carried out.

“Wednesday’s showers again led to waterlogging on MG Road and many other places in the city,” Rangadasa Prabhu, president, Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Council (EDRAAC), said. According to him, the works are only half over. “So, the flooding was bound to happen,” he said.
However, according to a shop owner on MG Road, just by removing some amount of silt, the flow of water in the drains can’t be increased.

“The drains need to be made deeper and they should be below the road level. However, in many areas the drains are not below the road level and also the sieves have got clogged,” said the shop owner. So when it rains even for a small time, the roads get inundated, he added. At Karukapally, the region near the fish stall still gets inundated, said a resident. “If it rains for even 15 minutes, the road gets submerged in ankle-deep water. This is happening after the drains were cleaned before the Covid-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt,” said the resident. As per the residents, the situation will be very bad when the monsoon arrives in June.  “If the works aren’t carried out on a war-footing and the drains cleared of all debris, we will have to see another deluge bring the city to a standstill,” said the resident. 

Poles in drains 
The shop owners along TD Road recently bore witness to a strange sight. Workers were found erecting poles inside the drains that had been cleaned as a part of Operation Breakthrough. “Waterlogging has been a big issue here. So when as a part of Operation Breakthrough the drains were cleaned and also constructed in places where there were none, we were happy.

But on Wednesday, workers hired by the Kochi Corporation came in and erected poles inside these drains,” said Prabhakara Naik.  He alleged the move has been made by the corporation to scuttle the district administration’s initiative. “Why else would anyone erect poles inside a drain, which is primarily meant to carry run-off water from the roads?” he asked. The move by the corporation was condemned by the shop owners and the CPM central local committee members. “The rain that lashed the city on Wednesday caused waterlogging in the area due to the action of the corporation. The poles blocked the flow of water in the drains,” said Prabhakara. 

Unscientific drain
Why is a drain constructed? asked P S Shine, councillor, Vyttila. His question attains relevance when one visits the area near the Ponnurunni underpass. The drain constructed as a solution to the waterlogging problem here will never serve the purpose, he said.

 “All the old drains have been filled with debris and silt from the ongoing construction of the overbridges at Vyttila and Kundanoor. So after the people protested, the engineers came up with a new drain that lies far above the connecting drains,” he said. So instead of taking out water, all the drain does is to collect it, he added. “If this is the case of a prime area in the city, one can only guess the situation in other areas,” said Shine.