While severe waterlogging in the city last year followed by harsh criticism has put the Kochi Corporation on guard this time around, councillors, across party lines, agree that much remains to be done before the monsoon intensifies.
A meeting of all agencies taking measures to resolve waterlogging, including Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) and the district administration, will be held soon for better coordination of efforts and to evaluate the work done, Mayor Soumini Jain said. A 24-hour help desk, functioning in coordination with the existing COVID-19 help desk, will be set up to intervene immediately when rainfall-related issues crop up.
But issues remain unresolved. Poornima Narayan, councillor representing Gandhinagar, said unless the bund constructed on the Chilavannoor lake was demolished, the surrounding areas would continue to drown in rain water. “Water from various other channels collects at Chilavannoor, but the natural flow of water is blocked by a bund,” she added.
Councillors pointed out that some canals like the Market canal were yet to be cleaned, while others like the Rameswaram canal had been included in the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) projects, but were still in a bad condition despite the money spent on them. The area where the Perandoor canal drains into the backwaters near the Vaduthala bridge has not yet been desilted, said Opposition leader K.J. Antony. Similarly, the area where the Kalvathy canal drains into the sea is also heavily silted, resulting in waterlogging, he added.
According to LDF councillor V.P. Chandran, in the past six years, around ₹120 crore has been spent on work to resolve waterlogging but without any definite plan in place.
While work has been progressing well, unscientific construction, including that of footpaths, is mostly responsible for waterlogging, Ms. Jain said. The agencies concerned must not step away from their responsibilities, she added.