Government clears ₹2.5-crore flood mitigation project for Kammattipadam in Kochi

Reconstruction of culverts, re-connecting drains and side protection work near Thevara-Perandoor canal proposed by Irrigation department

A project to prevent flooding in the Kammattipadam area of the Kochi Corporation has been cleared by the State government.

The ₹2.5-crore project, proposed by the Irrigation department, involves reconstruction of culverts, re-connecting drains, and side protection work near the culvert at the Theravada-Perandoor canal.

The indiscriminate development activities in the area and the destruction of canals that carried floodwaters resulted in the low-lying area getting inundated every year. A proper drainage management plan could have saved the place from flooding, according to the project report prepared by the department.

The Kammattipadam area is surrounded by the Ernakulam-Thrissur railway line in the west, the triangular crossing of the railway line in north, Thevara-Perandoor canal in the east, and the Mullassery canal junction with the Thevara-Perandoor canal in the south. The area is thus surrounded by a canal on two sides and railway lines on the other two. The Kammattipadam area thus got isolated from the mainland, and inundation of low-lying areas occurs regularly, the report noted.

The box culvert at the Thevara-Perandoor canal and the canal near A.L. Jacob overbridge will have to be reconstructed. The side drain at Kammattipadam needs to be extended. The Thevara-Perandoor canal shall be desilted for protecting the nearby residential areas from flooding. The existing width and depth of culverts in the area should be increased drain floodwaters, the report noted.

The State government had recently given administrative sanction for the project.