The relatively lesser flood-related damages in Thiruvananthapuram city over the past few years had led to a kind of lull in the flood mitigation measures in the capital. Consequently, the high intensity rain in the past week took the authorities by surprise, with even areas which had not usually witnessed flooding experiencing severe water-logging. The situation has rekindled the debate on Operation Anantha, the flood mitigation drive carried out in 2015, and the lack of continuity for such measures in later years.
While the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has demanded the launch of the second phase of the operation, the State government has asked the district administration as well as the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to prepare detailed proposals for flood mitigation ahead of a meeting that the Chief Minister is set to chair on the issue.
“Though there have been discussions regarding measures similar to Operation Anantha at the State government and Corporation levels, nothing concrete has yet emerged. But in the discussions, one major long-term proposal has come from the Irrigation department to widen the Kannammoola canal, which currently does not have sufficient carrying capacity to hold the water that drains into it from the Pattom, Ulloor and Amayizhanjan canals. Currently encroachments are being cleared to build sidewalls. But we have to widen the canal, for which we have to acquire land from either side. This will also necessitate the rehabilitation of people living closer to the canal to a proper location,” said a Corporation official.
The desiltation of the water reservoirs at Aruvikkara and Akkulam is also being taken up, as the carrying capacity of both have reduced significantly over the years. Though a Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) project to desilt the Akkulam lake is on, it has been held up due to technical issues. The tender for desilting of the Aruvikkara reservoir is almost ready. The Aruvikkara reservoir has not had any large scale desiltation activity in several decades, due to which it fills up even after a short spell of rains. The increase in built-up area within the city over the past two decades has added to the woes of water-logging here.
As part of Operation Anantha, encroachments in the Pazhavangadi, East Fort, and Thampanoor stretches of crucial canals were cleared and clogged canals cleaned. Though water-logging had reduced in Thampanoor during that time, the operation to remove encroachments on drains came to a halt when some major commercial establishments came on the demolition line. Though the launch of the second phase of the operation was considered a few years back, it did not take off due to various issues.
The repeated flooding at S.S. Kovil Road in Thampanoor, located at the heart of the region where Operation Anantha was carried out, is a commentary on how the lack of continuity has undone some of the work done in the past. Though the work on improving the storm water drainage system had begun here a few years back, it is still far from complete due to funding issues.
The work on the drain which passes through the area behind the Government Central High School in Attakulangara, aimed at reducing the flooding in the Killipalam-Attakulangara stretch has also remained incomplete.
Residents in some areas in Vettukad are still facing the woes due to waterlogging as a result of the rains last week. The Corporation has been pumping out water from the area for the past seven days, but much remains to be done. With heavy rains projected for the week, the civic authorities are on their toes, formulating short-term fixes and planning for long-term measures.
