“It was raining continuously for about five hours since 4.30 am, it almost felt like a cloudburst. There was no rain warning for the district”, Mayor M. Anilkumar
“It was raining continuously for about five hours since 4.30 am, it almost felt like a cloudburst. There was no rain warning for the district”, Mayor M. Anilkumar
Heavy rain subsided for a few hours in the early hours of Tuesday Kochi Cities under water, even in areas that were unaffected in the 2018 floods.
While areas notorious for flooding during the first spell of rain saw unprecedented flooding even by their standards, it was the flash floods in areas that were unaffected by floods in the past that put the authorities on alert. The officials got a lot of relief, the rain stopped and the water started receding at around 9:30 in the morning.
The floods caused power outages in many areas and power could not be restored despite respite from the rains.
“Water did not enter our house even during the 2018 floods. The work area was completely submerged, causing damage to the refrigerator kept there, while the water submerged till the silencer of the car parked in our portico, said Naveen James, a lawyer who lives on the side of Pallissery Road between Thammanam and the bypass. happened.
Floods are nothing new for Giridhar Pai, whose house along TD Road often gets submerged during every rain. “But this time was the worst as the water inside the house was knee high forcing us to move valuables,” he said.
‘All roads submerged’
Vennala and its adjoining areas have been the worst affected. “Almost all the sub-roads were submerged in water above knee level. A petrol pump in the area had to be closed due to the floods. The traffic block made the scene even worse,” said Bastin Soni, a resident of Vennala.
Amal Chakkalakkal, a resident of Ayyappanakavu, was under stress as the water tank kept filling up outside as he threatened to enter his house despite being built at a high altitude. “Most of the houses around us got flooded as before. Had the rain continued for another hour, a massive evacuation would have been necessary,” he said.
Water entered the house of Narendra Bhat, a resident of Elmakkara, for the first time due to the sinking of the washing machine. “The drain got covered with leaves to reduce the water and it made the situation worse,” he said.
Mayor’s response
Banerjee Road Submerged In Kacheripady, Kochi | photo credit: RK Nitin
Mayor M. Anilkumar said that many areas within the limits of Kochi Corporation were not spared due to the rain that lasted for hours. Vaduthala, Kaloor, South, MG Road were all submerged, leading to complete halt of vehicular movement at many places.
“It was raining continuously for about five hours since 4.30 am, it almost felt like a cloudburst. There was no rain warning for the district and the kind of heavy rain that the city had received in such a short period, it could hardly do anything even if it was on alert. The canals in the city were completely clogged, which did not have the capacity to drain the flood waters. Even the sea was reportedly rough, making it worse,” said Mr. Anilkumar.
Read also: Mullassery canal restoration work in Kochi may take months to resume
no time to react
, asked about Operation Breakthrough aimed at fighting floodsHe said this mainly happens in areas known for frequent flooding. Although the corporation had pumps and workers ready to take out the water, they could hardly do anything amidst the havoc of the rain.
Classes had already started in schools, which meant that there was no scope for opening relief camps. “There was nothing but waiting for the rain to stop and the water level to drop before doing anything,” Mr. Anilkumar said.
Aluva and surrounding areas on the banks of the Periyar river were more or less spared this time.