Rain took a break in the city on Monday after a heavy downpour on Sunday even as Kochiites continued to live under flood threat in the wake of a fresh spell of showers.
Water levels at several places that were inundated started receding by afternoon.
Movement of pedestrians and vehicles through the flooded roads was affected because of the choked drains and canals. Commuters on M.G. Road and Chittoor Road had a tough time as they had to wade through stagnant pools. Several areas in West Kochi and other parts of Ernakulam were also severely affected in the heavy rain.
‘No restoration work’
Blaming the authorities concerned for not cleaning up major canals in Kochi, A. Ajith Kumar, general secretary of Ernakulam District Residents Associations Apex Council (EDRAAC), said that areas that were not affected severely last time got flooded in the heavy rain that lashed the city on Sunday.
“The smooth flow of water through drains and canals had stopped because of the dumping of building materials into them. Those responsible for clearing up the choked canals and drains had failed to initiate preparatory works to avert such an emergency,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said that lack of restoration works along major canals, which include Rameshwaram Canal, Kharee Thodu, Perandoor Canal and Edappally Thodu, had resulted in flooding in the nearby regions. Studies conducted by experts at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) had earlier found that rampant encroachment and unchecked pollution had sounded the death knell for many canals in Kochi.
Colonies worst-hit
T.S. Madhavan, member of EDRAAC’s district committee, said that people in P&T Colony, Udaya Colony, Karshaka Road and Kammattipadam were severely affected owing to the heavy downpour on Sunday. Many residents in these areas had a sleepless night after water rushed into their homes on Sunday night.
“The smooth flow of water along the Perandoor Canal had got affected, resulting in heavy waterlogging in the area. The natural width of the canal was affected considerably after sand was dumped on either side of the canal for the proposed bridge over the Perandoor Canal linking Girinagar 4th Cross Road with the Panampilly Nagar Elder’s Forum Road, he said.
Civic authorities in association with Revenue officials supported around 400 inhabitants of P and T Colony in Gandhi Nagar who were affected by the heavy rain.
Food was supplied to the residents on Sunday night. Three meals were provided to the residents of the colony on Monday too. Only four residents of the colony could go for work on Monday as the heavy rain that lashed the city on Saturday and Sunday threw their lives out of gear, said Poornima Narayan, the chairperson of Education Standing Committee of the corporation, who is representing the area in the council. Police officials of the Jana Maithri Police station, Kadavanthra, too chipped in on Saturday and offered bananas to the residents.
Traders on M.G. Road blamed the Kochi Corporation authorities for not carrying out timely work to clear the choked drains. The entire road gets flooded in heavy rain, affecting the prospects of hundreds of traders. “No concrete steps have been initiated to find a permanent solution to water logging along M.G. Road,” they said.
Trees uprooted
Traffic along the Vyttila-Pettah route came to a halt in the morning as a huge tree got uprooted near the KSEB substation near Vyttila. Officials from Gandhinagar and Thripunitura stations of the Fire and Rescue Services Department were pressed into service. They used a power saw to cut the tree. Vehicles were diverted through the Kundannoor route following the incident.
R. Prasad, Divisional Fire Officer, Ernakulam, said the route was cleared around noon. “Our teams under the Ernakulam division are working round the clock to clear landslips in places including Idukki, and also to help remove uprooted trees in the affected areas,” he said.
Another huge tree got uprooted near Parade Ground, Fort Kochi, and partially damaged an adjacent building. It took almost seven hours for the rescuers to cut the tree into pieces and clear the way for vehicles.
Another tree located near the Hill Palace Museum fell in the early hours of the day. Vehicular movement along the road was resumed after nearly two hours.
The premises of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research at Cusat recorded a rainfall of 1.5 cm/24 hours on September 16 while the rainfall received on September 17 was 4.3 cm/24 hours, according to researchers at the centre.
Religious centres hit
The Aluva Shiva temple was in knee-deep water following the heavy rain. Devotees said there was a similar situation in August, 2013, when the Periyar river overflowed after incessant heavy rain. The St. Francis Church at Fort Kochi was also waterlogged.
Body recovered
The body of Baiju, a resident of Thangalam who drowned in the waters near the Kozhipally bridge in Kothamangalam, was recovered on Monday. His body was shifted to Government Hospital, Kothamangalam.
The district administration has said that all arrangements have been made to meet any emergency following the heavy rainfall.
Steps had already been taken to rehabilitate those who lost shelter in the rain. People can call the control room functioning round the clock at Kakkanad to alert the authorities on the flood situation, the administration informed.
