Govt. departments regularised canal encroachments, says report

‘Chilavannoor lake reclamation contributed significantly to flooding of Kochi city’

Various government departments have regularised the encroachment of canals of Kochi, thus contributing to flooding, blamed a report by the Irrigation Department. A report on flood mitigation, prepared by the department and submitted to the State government and civic authorities the other day, pointed out that the Revenue Department regularised the encroachment at Kumaranasan Nagar in Punchathodu and fixed the boundary into the canal. This has led to the shrinkage of the width of the canal to about two metres from the original six metres. There are also other instances of legalising encroachments, which have in turn reduced the water-holding capacities of the canal system. The departments concerned have to take a relook into the issue and recapture the waterways, suggested the report prepared by a team led by R. Baji Chandran, Superintending Engineer, Minor Irrigation (Central Circle) Ernakulam. The report warned that the canal system will disappear in near future and the flooding of the city during rainy season becomes inevitable if the issue is not addressed.