The weathermen forecast an excess monsoon this year—residents of Koch have a lot to worry about! The city corporation is yet to begin the annual cleaning of the canals and drains to prevent waterlogs. The regular pre-monsoon cleaning drive has been slow and the city will almost certainly be flooded.
The civic body has submitted a letter to Kochi Metro Rail Limited requesting for financial assistance to clean the drains along the metro viaduct from Edappally to Vyttila. However, the agency has not offered any assistance so far.
“A decision is yet to be taken whether to provide funds to the corporation for drain cleaning,” KMRL sources said according to Deccan Chronicle. Over the past few years, the agency had funded cleaning the drains clogged with concrete sludge from metro sites.
Mayor Soumini Jain told Deccan Chronicle that cleaning of small canals and drains had started and the estimate for big canals was already made.
“Since the Election Commission has exempted cleaning works from the code of conduct purview, we can go on with the drive. We are hopeful of completing the works before the onset of monsoon,” she added.
The mayor also added that in case KMRL fails to provide the fund this time, they would dig into their own funds to clean the metro corridor as well.
Though the metro civil works are completed in many areas, the drains are still damaged and clogged with debris from the work sites. Several areas in the city are at the risk of being flooded if drains remain uncleaned or unclogged.
During the recent council meeting, BJP councillor Syamala Prabhu had raised the issue and sought immediate measures to start the pre-monsoon cleaning drive in west Kochi.
