Post-flood, the Minor Irrigation Department is one of the most pursued agencies by panchayats in the river basin and coastal areas of the district when it comes to clearing blocked canals.
Taking a cue from the work done by some panchayats that helped in controlling floodwaters, several others have followed suit.
The Cheranalloor grama panchayat has started clearing canals of silt, dirt, and mud under the Haritha Keralam Mission (HKM). Of the nearly 50 small and big canals crisscrossing the panchayat, 38 have been identified to be cleared in 17 wards. Work has begun in wards 2, 15 and 17 which were the worst hit in this year’s floods.
Kavathiyadu thodu, Kenopadam, and Mundiyath thodu are among the canals where work is in progress, said Shimmy Francis, block panchayat member. Around 80 houses were affected by floods in Cheranalloor this year, while a thousand were affected last year.
Since the August 2018 floods, the Minor Irrigation Department has been handling 325 projects within the Ernakulam sub-division office limits. So far, 125 projects have been completed.
Officials of the department told The Hindu that the response to canal clearing schemes was lukewarm before the floods.
In Vypeen block, where some canals were cleaned, it was starkly evident how a free-flowing canal helped clear floodwaters, while in places where work is pending, houses got flooded in heavy rain.
While several panchayats alleged delay in completion of work, officials said the issue had been sorted out. Different sizes of canals require different machinery.
Meanwhile, disaster management funds are being utilised at ₹1.5 lakh per scheme. On an average, the length of a canal is 300 metres or at times 500 metres.
Canals in Kumbalam, Chellanam, Maradu, Udayamperoor, and Thripunithura and those in panchayats under the Vypeen block and a majority of canals in Kadamakudy were spruced up before the floods this year. Canals in Kumbalanghi are getting a facelift too.
