With the Thiruvathira Njattuvela on, parts of Mavoor road and Rajaji Road around the Mofusil bus stand in Kozhikode have turned into a huge mass of rainwater. It was the 15-minute-long spell of rain on Tuesday afternoon that led to the flooding forcing the commuters, especially those seeking bus services after work, to wade through shin-deep dirty water from the overflowing drains.
The situation raises questions about the effectiveness of the storm water drain constructed under Mavoor Road for which the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation had spent ₹15 crore.
Mayor Thottathil Raveendran told The Hindu on Tuesday that the Corporation had completed whatever work was pending in the project after the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) was dismantled. “We are in the process of clearing the silt off the storm water drain tonight or at least by tomorrow night. The work has been entrusted to Uralungal Labour Contractors’ Cooperative Society. Soon the drain will be functional and there would be no more waterlogging on Mavoor Road,” he said.
Waterlogging in the Mofusil bus stand junction has been a headache for the Corporation and the traffic police for decades and the storm water drain project was brought in specifically to solve the problem. The 50-year-old existing drainage in the city was unable to handle all the water during monsoon. New pipelines, designed in consultation with the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, with enough capacity to accommodate the water, were laid under the roads as part of the project.
It took the KSUDP almost two years to dig up half of Mavoor Road and several other roads in the city to implant the pipes that could carry the rainwater straight to the Conolly Canal. The junction was partially blocked in April 2016 for almost a month to construct the connection between the separate pipelines. The drainage system has been connected to the existing drain under the Nayanar Flyover so that the water could be discharged into the Conolly Canal near Arayadathupalam.
Though the Mavoor Road stretch of the storm water drain was completed, it did not have any effect on the waterlogging during the monsoon last year. But it did not cause much headache for the Corporation as the monsoon was weak then. But with the monsoon being in full swing this year, the situation is back to square one.
Warning
The District Collector has warned the public to be alert as heavy rain has been predicted in the district until June 29.
People have been advised against entering rivers as there were chances of water gushing. Alert has been issued in hilly areas against landslips and travelling during night. Do not park vehicles under trees. Tourists should not go into the sea, the Collector urged.
Twenty four-hour control rooms have been set up at all taluk head quarters to coordinate disaster management activities. On emergencies, contact the District Disaster Management Centre on 0495-2371002 or 1077 (Toll Free), 0495-2372966 (Kozhikode taluk), 0496-2620235 (Koyilandy taluk), 0496-2522361 (Vadakara taluk) or 0495-2223088 (Thamarasseri taluk).
