Kochi faces waterlogging in many areas in heavy overnight showers

Heavy overnight rain that lashed Kochi city on Friday served as a grim reminder of what lies ahead once the monsoon sets in, with many areas experiencing severe waterlogging.

Ernakulam South railway station, Kalathiparambil Road, Karikkamuri, KSRTC stand, Ernakulam North, Edakochi, Palluruthy, Panayappilly, and Edappally were among the areas affected. The Opposition Left Democratic Front is set to corner the United Democratic Front-led governing committee over the alleged failure of pre-monsoon works.

LDF parliamentary party leader V.A. Sreejith alleged that the Corporation failed to coordinate effectively with various departments, a pivotal requirement for preventing waterlogging in the city. Though files related to monsoon preparatory works were cleared before the model code of conduct came into force ahead of the Assembly election, the governing committee failed to exercise proper oversight, he said.

Ernakulam South division councillor K.V.P. Krishnakumar said waterlogging in his division has been a perennial issue owing to the limited outlets for drainage. “Water collected in the area has to flow through the Vivekananda Canal to the Mullassery Canal and eventually to the backwaters. Due to the absence of natural flow, a ‘petti and para’ has been installed at the eastern end of the Mullassery Canal to pump water into the backwaters. Geographically, there is a slope towards the eastern side of Chittoor Road, leading to waterlogging in those areas. In the past, water drained through a railway culvert along Kammattypadam into the canal beside GCDA. But those outlets have disappeared due to encroachment,” he said.

Mr. Krishnakumar added that creating multiple outlets to drain water from near the South railway station directly into the backwaters through Jos Junction and MG Road would provide significant relief from waterlogging in the area.

Abdul Latheef, Edakochi division councillor, lamented that Edappally Junction gets flooded even during minor showers, with ongoing National Highway works worsening the situation. “To address the issue, a new drain was constructed alongside Lulu Mall, passing through the Kochi Metro parking lot to carry water directly to the Edappally Canal. However, last week, that drain was demolished for construction after the metro leased out the space to a private party,” he said.

Ernakulam District Residents’ Associations’ Apex Council general secretary C.C. Ajithkumar noted that while waterlogging was reported in Kaloor, North, and Kadavanthra, water drained out relatively quickly. “However, the situation would worsen if waterlogging coincided with high tide,” he said.

The Corporation claims it has earmarked ₹20 crore for pre-monsoon works, including ₹13 lakh for each of the 76 divisions. In addition, ₹50,000 has been allocated to each division for immediate monsoon-related restoration tasks such as clearing fallen trees from roads.