Despite the lockdown and lack of availability of labourers, the pre-monsoon cleaning drive of the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation is in full swing across the city. As the beginning of monsoon rains is expected within weeks, the corporation is making all efforts to prevent waterlogging and minor flooding occurring in parts of the city every rainy season.
Cleaning of drains is being carried out in major parts and the centre of the city. Several truckloads of garbage, mainly plastic bottles and carry bags, are being retrieved from drains on Mavoor Road. New drains on the road and nearby areas are properly covered, yet garbage finds its ways into the drains through small outlets made for water from the road to drain off. With different types of cables passing through the drains, garbage gets stuck in them, causing unnecessary trouble to labourers who clean them. Mavoor Road, especially the area close to the mofussil bus stand, is vulnerable to flooding every year during monsoon.
The new stormwater drain constructed under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) a few years ago was expected to put an end to the problem. However, after KSUDP became dysfunctional, the project was brought under Amrut scheme. There are parts of the stormwater drain network yet to be completed. As a result, the waterlogging issue on Mavoor Road remains not fully solved.
Though ₹50,000 has been allotted to all wards of the corporation for the first phase of cleaning, work has not begun in all wards. Pre-monsoon cleaning works are being delayed in many wards due to the lockdown, containment zone restrictions, and non-availability of labourers. Works may resume once the lockdown is lifted.