THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: High waves have slowed down the flow of water into the sea causing floods in low-lying areas. The garbage pile-up clogging drains also leads to repeated flooding. Some 500 settlements can run into trouble due to delay in the water receding even after breaking the Veli sandbar. With dwindling wetlands, more water rushes into sea per minute worsening the situation.
“The sandbar was opened well in advance but high waves in the morning push the water upstream. Settlements in low-lying areas and wetlands surrounding canals and rivers make them vulnerable,” said a minor irrigation official. Since time immemorial, Veli and Pozhikkara sandbars naturally break draining away the stormwater. However, since new settlements sit precariously close to rivers and canals, houses get flooded faster forcing to break sandbars frequently.
Thekkumoodu bund colony and Poonthi Road areas were flooded on Friday as water did not recede from Ulloor and Amayizhanjan canals. Kamaleswaram went under water as Kariyil Thodu did not drain into swollen Parvathi Puthanar. All of them reach Akkulam lake which opens into the sea at Veli.
“Though it’s already late, the corporation should strictly deny building permits on wetlands,” the official added. Friday’s trouble had hit both sides of Killiyar and affected areas such as Thozhuvancode. “We are pressurised to construct walls on both sides of Killi river to prevent flooding. However, everyone knows this is not sustainable and houses saved forever,” another minor irrigation official said.
