The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Rain disrupts life

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Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Rain disrupts life

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: The monsoon showers since early morning on Tuesday threw life haywire in Kochi city and its suburbs. Though the incessant rains lessened by the afternoon, it was only by night that water receded from flooded roads and footpaths.

Once again, this demonstrated that civic agencies and those in charge of maintaining canals, drains and roads failed to carry out mandatory pre-monsoon canal cleaning. Pedestrians and two-wheeler riders had to wade through dirty water that overflowed from the drains into the road. The inability of the Kochi Corporation to pump out water from the drains has for long been blamed for road getting flooded in any more than normal downpour.

Many portions of even the NH bypass was flooded and this caused traffic hold-ups in places like Chalikkavattom and the southern side of Palarivattom bypass junction. The rains added to the woes of commuters who were already affected by the bad condition of bridges and the potholed Kundanoor junction, in the Vytilla-Aroor portion of NH 47.

The situation was no better in the heart of the city, where motorists caught up in bumper-to-bumper traffic inched their way forward. Auto drivers cited their inability to ply to many flooded areas. Road rage ran high as four-wheelers and buses splashed dirty water on pedestrians and two-wheeler riders.

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