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| Photo Credit: H Vibhu

As many as 20 affected coastal panchayats in Ernakulam district are set to pass resolutions demanding that tidal flooding be included in the list of State-and national-level disasters.

Ezhikkara and Edavanakkad panchayats have already passed a resolution to this effect and forwarded it to the State government. A recent meeting of affected local bodies, organised by the district panchayat, called for field visits by the State Relief Commissioner to assess the situation. The meeting emphasised that including tidal flooding under the Disaster Management Act would enable quicker measures like compensation, mitigation, and relief, including temporary relocation.

“Over 12,000 hectares, including Pokkali farms, across the 20 local bodies remain affected by tidal flooding. Notably, land degradation is occurring in critical Ramsar sites. At present, residents in the affected areas are compelled to stay, despite many houses being on the verge of collapse,” said C.G. Madhusoodhanan, chief executive officer of Equinoct, a Kochi-based community-sourced modelling solution provider.

However, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) pointed out that notifying tidal flooding as a disaster would hardly address the problem. Instead, local bodies have been urged to convene the 13th Working Group on disaster management, climate change, and biodiversity, and allocate their own funds for long- and medium-term mitigation plans.

“Local bodies should regulate land use, determining what can be built and how, in compliance with the Indian Standard code for constructions in low-lying areas. Risk-informed land use plans should be developed in consultation with the district town planner. They should incorporate tidal flooding into their disaster management plans and then approach the State for further assistance,” said Shekhar L. Kuriakose, member secretary, KSDMA.

Local bodies are also planning to design projects, including detailed project reports for dredging, to ensure smooth water flow in waterbodies as part of the annual plan for the 2025-26 financial year. Each block panchayat will purchase a floating earthmover and tidal flood mitigation works will be included under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

“An action plan will be formulated based on the recommendations of the local bodies affected by tidal flooding. The support of the KSDMA will also be ensured for all future endeavours,” said district panchayat president and District Disaster Management Authority co-chairman Manoj Moothedan.