The ‘petti’ and ‘para’ system to drain water from canals, which had been dismantled, will have to be revived to deal with the city’s waterlogging issues, according to Mayor M. Anilkumar.
High tide accompanied by heavy rainfall causes flooding of the Perandoor canal and the drains associated with it, which is responsible for waterlogging in several areas, he said. The Perandoor canal traverses through Panampilly Nagar before emptying into the backwaters at Thevara. This could explain the recurrent flooding in the Panampilly Nagar area, Mr. Anilkumar said.
He pointed out two solutions to waterlogging in the city — one is to complete projects suggested by Esteem Developers in a report prepared years ago, and the other is to revive the petti and para system. The petti and para system, that had been dismantled in most places over the past few years, involves using a shutter to prevent water from flowing in from the Vembanad lake, while pumping excess water back into the lake. Corporation officials have been directed to set up a petti and para system at Panampilly Nagar. In Vivekananda thodu, which is a part of the Mullassery canal, a stronger pump will be set up in the existing petti and para mechanism.
Water from the Mullassery canal at one end also flows into the Perandoor canal through a railway culvert near the KSRTC bus stand. A pump placed there helps divert the water back into the Vembanad lake.
To prevent waterlogging in the Kaloor area, the petti and para mechanism near PVS Hospital will have to be revived. The experience over the past two days has indicated that pumping water from areas prone to waterlogging is the city’s best bet, according to Mr. Anilkumar. A total of 15 pumps were used during the rainfall the city recently witnessed. These were placed at spots, including the KSRTC bus stand, Panampilly Nagar, near Yathra Auditorium, and the KSEB sub station at Edappally.
The Esteem Developers report had suggested a drain through Sreekandath Road and into the Vembanad lake, and another rain through St. Benedict Road, to deal with waterlogging in M.G. Road and Ravipuram areas.
The Kochi Corporation will need funding for these projects, Mr. Anilkumar pointed out.
