In the wake of the floods that occurred in the State during the south-west monsoon, several mitigative measures, including checking the construction of buildings in hilly regions and adopting long-term disaster resilience plans, have been suggested for Kozhikode district.
A comprehensive report titled ‘Post Disaster Assessment of Great Flood of 2018’ prepared by the Calicut Chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects in association with the District Town and Country Planning Office has called for statutory bodies examining building plans in vulnerable zones before construction. About 90% of flood-affected areas are in regions where the slope of the hill is 50 degrees and above.
The report found that economically-constrained groups were mostly affected and it could be attributed to compromises made on the quality of construction of houses. Over 60% of the damaged houses were RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) structures and 30% traditionally-built tiled-roof structures. One of the reasons cited by experts is the use of different types of construction materials rather than depending on locally available resources.
In the case of power outage, the report has suggested power back-up system at the local levels and the introduction of solar units as an alternative. Power shortage also caused disruption of mobile phone connectivity. Land phone connectivity was mostly affected in Thamarassery taluk. The report suggests the laying of optical fibre cables with proper protection.
As part of rebuilding the agriculture sector, rejuvenation of existing paddy fields and relooking the use of agricultural land have been recommended.
The report has suggested that local bodies carry out tree-pruning and desilting of drains before the monsoon.
During the floods, ring bunds constructed for the underwater works and at the downstream of Chittarikkadavu were washed away. Of the 51.9 kms of canals and drains protected under the Irrigation Department, almost 2 kms were eroded in the flash floods in August, the report stated.
