Waterlogging in city triggers war of words

Thiruvananthapuram: Severe waterlogging triggered by heavy rains in the city has sparked a political blame game. The ruling council of the city corporation has accused the previous LDF administration of failing to secure Central funds for flood mitigation, while the opposition held the current council responsible for poor preparedness.Corporation health standing committee chairman M R Gopan alleged that the previous LDF council never submitted a detailed project report (DPR) to the Central govt, causing the city to lose access to nearly Rs 200 crore earmarked for urban flood mitigation.“The present council would prepare and submit a comprehensive DPR to ensure the funds are secured at the earliest,” he said.As immediate measures, the corporation has decided to cover drains with concrete slabs along the East Fort–Thampanoor stretch to prevent waste from blocking waterways. Construction of safety walls along damaged sections of the Amayizhanjan Canal began on Sunday and additional sanitation workers have been deployed at vulnerable locations to prevent drain clogging.Mayor V V Rajesh attributed the flooding primarily to the overflow of the Amayizhanjan Canal and Parvathy Puthanar, both maintained by the irrigation department. “None of the drains or canals under the corporation overflowed or directly caused flooding. Coordination among 19 departments is required to permanently address waterlogging. A meeting will be convened soon, and reports will be submitted to the State and Central governments seeking financial assistance,” the Mayor said.“None of the drains or canals under the corporation overflowed or directly caused the flooding,’ he said, adding that a meeting involving 19 departments would be convened soon and that reports would be submitted to the state and central govts seeking financial assistance.The corporation also plans to consult experts linked to Operation Anantha, the canal restoration initiative launched in 2015 that significantly improved the city’s drainage.Opposition leader in the corporation S P Deepak rejected the mayor’s explanation and said roads and commercial areas going under water within half an hour of rain was clear proof that the corporation’s pre-monsoon cleaning drive had failed entirely.He pointed to prolonged flooding at Thampanoor, East Fort, Pazhavangadi and Akkulam–Ulloor Road, and noted that even the road outside the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple was submerged, with the overflowing Amayizhanjan Canal discharging polluted water onto public streets.“Women, children and senior citizens were forced to wade through knee-deep contaminated water in several areas,” he said, adding that the flooding has exposed the inefficiency and negligence of the corporation. Deepak also alleged that heaps of plastic waste and garbage washed onto roads during the flooding.He also referred to the criticism surrounding the post-Pongala cleaning operations following the Pongala festival, alleging that the corporation had failed to heed repeated warnings to clean drains, canals and waterways ahead of the monsoon.