Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005 |
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Kochi
Staff Reporter
A DUMPING GROUND: A file photo of Manthra Canal, the arterial canal for West Kochi into which all the drains open. — Photo: H. Vibhu
KOCHI: For those in West Kochi, the downpour on Monday was another revelation - that all talk about authorities cleaning up the canals as solution to the water logging mean next to nothing. On Monday, shops had to be closed and students were sent back home by the afternoon as water surged in. It was hard as the drains were overflowing and people had to wade knee-deep through the dirty water, said Mini Paul, a teacher at one of the schools in the region. Kochi Corporation had been working to clean and dredge Rameswaram-Calvethy Canal, the arterial canal across West Kochi to which all drains open into. Cleaning of this canal was one of the important components of the Department For International Development-aided project (DFID). The canal was cleaned as part of the drive to check water logging. However, related works like re-building three culverts within the five-km canal and marking the optimum depth to which dredging need to be done to ensure free flow of water were not completed. "Even though we have all the modern equipment like earthmovers required for dredging the canal, the work could not be completed as the canal does not have side roads all along its length. Work has started to acquire land using emergency clauses to expedite the construction of side roads along Mantra canal," said K.J. Sohan, former Kochi Mayor and currently, Corporation councillor from one of the wards in West Kochi. While the residents call for a lasting solution to their misery, officials are advocating a sustained effort to clean up the arterial canal. "Cleaning up the canal at this frequency will not work, as people will continue to dump sewage into it. We need to run awareness campaigns and take strict action to prevent people from doing it. Also, we must employ people in country boats to clean up the canal every three months or so," said M. Iqbal, another councillor from the region. Another reason cited for the flooding in West Kochi on Monday was the high tide, which prevented water from leaving. The situation got worsened because of reclamation of backwaters.
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