The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Flood control project for city

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Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Flood control project for city

Special Correspondent

KSUDP package suggests de-silting and better drainage capacity for various canals and lakes to eliminate the severe flooding in the capital city .

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) has prepared a comprehensive package to eliminate the frequent and severe flooding that occurs in the Thampanoor and East Fort areas in the capital city.

The package involves de-silting and improving the drainage capacity of the Pazhavangady Thodu and Amayizhanjan Thodu, the two main canals passing through the city.

It proposes deepening of the Veli and Aakkulam Lakes and construction of a pair of groins or breakwaters at the mouth of the Veli Lake to prevent the formation of a sand bar.

Construction of rainwater harvesting units in the catchments and improvement of the roadside drains in the Thampanoor and East Fort areas are other proposals.

The project report observes that the Pazhavangadi Thodu, though the smaller canal, drains through the busiest parts of the city, and often overflows due to blockage, into the nearby roads at Thampanoor and East Fort areas.

Silt deposits, debris and other wastes along the entire busy urbanised route, and inadequate waterway at culverts and bridges are the main reasons for its reduced carrying capacity. In addition, liquid wastes and raw sewage are also being discharged into it along its entire length.

Chain-link fencing

The project proposes fencing of the Pazhavangady Thodu with chain-link netting covered at the top in a triangular shape along a distance of 6 km.

In heavily built-up areas, it proposes concrete cover slabs to facilitate better pedestrian activity and also to prevent tampering with the fencing.

The report stresses the need to construct a new parallel culvert under the Railway station on the west side of the existing culvert. This is proposed to be done by the Railways.

The 4.7-km stretch of the Amayizhanjan Thodu between the Kannammoola Bridge and its outlet to the Aakkulam Lake is proposed to be de-silted and dredged. The bed of the Aakkulam Lake would be deepened all the way to the Veli mouth to facilitate easy routing of the flood water into the sea.

The report observes that the periodic formation of a sand bar at the narrow mouth of the Aakkulam Veli Estuary (about 100 m) is responsible for the rise in water level in the lake and the consequent flooding along the length of the canals.

The stagnant water in the lake also causes pollutants to accumulate, and creates unhealthy conditions.

A properly designed and constructed pair of breakwaters at the mouth can permanently eliminate the annual formation of sand bar, it notes.

Rainwater harvesting

The report also calls for the promotion of rainwater harvesting in the catchments of the project to reduce the downstream peak flood flows and recharge the depleting groundwater levels.

The project highlights the need to improve roadside drains and construct large covered drains with manholes and silt pits in the flood-prone areas.

It also calls for periodic cleaning of the drains and provision of manholes and silt pits.

Emergency pumping facilities have also been proposed at Thampanoor and East Fort to cope with abnormally high floods.

The report calls for operation, maintenance and replacement costs to be built into the funding scheme. It suggests renting advertisement space to mobilise the Rs.5 crore required as annual recurring expenditure for the project.

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