The unrelenting waterlogging menace takes pride of place in the ongoing election campaign for the Kochi Corporation divisions in the heart of the city.
Political fronts and candidates have identified waterlogging as the most pressing issue in the central parts of the city and are promising to find solutions to it.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is using the severe waterlogging experienced over the past few years as ammunition against the outgoing United Democratic Front (UDF) regime. “The biggest problem in Kochi’s central area is waterlogging. Close to the end of council that was in office from 2000 to 2005, Esteem Developers had studied the issue and made suggestions based on the area’s topography, including setting up more ‘petti and para’ systems, and creating more outlets into the backwaters. Not much was done in the past ten years to implement the suggestions in this report,” said M. Anil Kumar, LDF candidate from Elamakkara north, who is leading the CPI(M) campaign. “The LDF aims to implement the suggestions made in the report, besides proposing another comprehensive study based on recent changes to the area’s topography,” he said.
The UDF is also promising a scientific study to find a permanent solution to the waterlogging problem, besides getting a map of the drains and canals prepared, and restructuring the drains for smooth flow of water, according to Congress leader N. Venugopal.
Several centrally located areas in the city, including the area around the KSRTC bus stand and a few parts of MG Road, have been severely waterlogged after spells of rain. “The interconnected canal network and drainage systems are not well maintained, and they will have to be restored to their original width,” said Nipun Cherian, campaign controller, V4 Kochi. Unscientific construction of roads at a height had contributed to the problem and these would be fixed, he added.
Candidates have been raising the issue at their campaigns. M.G. Aristottil, UDF candidate for Kathrikadavu, said that solutions to waterlogging on Azad Road and the issues caused by the Sina thodu in the division were on top of the agenda.
The waterlogging problem was serious in the area around the Mullassery Canal, though drain work in a few places had helped alleviate it, said Sudha Dileep Kumar, Bharatiya Janata Party councillor representing Ernakulam Central, who will contest again. Completion of work on the Thammanam-Pullepady road was also a pressing issue, she said.