Reclamation posing threat to low-lying areas

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, SEPT. 24. Mindless reclamation of wetlands is once again posing a threat to the low-lying areas in the city and its surroundings. Even when the flood-prone areas in the heart of the city such as Thampanoor and East Fort were flooded in rains during the past two days, the authorities concerned seem to be groping in the dark to find a solution to the issue.

Karamana, Killipalam, Kannamoola and Jagathy which usually get flooded, remained unaffected during this season as there was no continuous rain. According to the Goureesapattom councillor, Mr.M.P.Saju, though there is no flooding in Kannamoola, the roads in Adarsh Nagar and Thekkumoodu remain submerged. This is mainly due to the conversion of paddy fields in Goureesapattom and Thekkumoodu.

Moreover, the Amayizhanjan Canal becomes narrow once it reaches Mulavana bridge in Kunnukuzhi. The three bridges, including two shutter bridges and heavy siltation of the canal, prevent the smooth flow of the storm water. Earlier desiltation was done regularly by the Irrigation Department, but it has not been done during the past 10 years. This is one of the main causes for flooding, he said.

The low-lying areas in Attukal ward, Kottapuram in Ambalathara and Kallady Mukhom got flooded in the present bout of monsoon. Almost 6 kms in the ward got submerged due to illegal reclamation of the Kallady Mukhom channel, one of the main sources for draining out storm water.

The channel was allegedly filled up by an individual with the connivance of some top revenue officials and thus the entire area was inundated after two days rain.

The corporation council had urged the Revenue authorities to prevent the reclamation of the channel but to no avail. The Chirapalam colony in Attukal was flooded after a road was constructed under the People's Plan Campaign filling up a channel.

The topography of the city itself provides for a natural drainage of rain water. About two or three decades back, houses were constructed only in elevated areas by the side of paddy fields or quite far away from the river banks. As the city began to grow, new roads were constructed and the entire face of the city was thoroughly changed.

During the last two decades, roads began to be constructed wherever there were drainage lines. Soon, houses were constructed on either side of the drainage roads. Since drainage lines are laid only in the valleys, to facilitate the gravity flow of waste, the houses which were built on either side of drainage roads, were constructed by filling up the existing fields in the area.

As the largest water containment bodies in the city were used for construction purposes, the excess rain water now has no natural drainage, and cause either local flooding and water-logging or finds its way into the nearest storm water drain, causing floods downstream.

Melarannoor and Keezharannoor are among the most flood-prone areas in the city. Here too, big paddy fields too have been converted to housing plots. Serious flooding of the Killi river has somewhat been contained by the construction of bunds, but houses continue to suffer water-logging, after heavy rains.

The banks of the Killi and Karamana rivers too have been indiscriminately encroached upon by inhabitants so that some properties actually jut into the rivers.

About 54 per cent of the identified wetzones, including marsh lands and the so-called waste lands, had been reclaimed for construction between 1966 and 1991, according to CESS studies. If the Government and the civic authorities fail to act on time, the situation would worsen in the coming years.

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Section  : Southern States
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