The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has found itself at the receiving end of criticism over the severe waterlogging in the city following a relatively light spell of rains. Opposition parties attributed the waterlogging to the failure in carrying out pre-monsoon cleaning measures properly. City residents also gave vent to their anger on social media platforms, while raising concerns about the possibilities of flooding during monsoons.

Following the rains, stormwater gushed even inside shops in the Pazhavangadi area and Chala Market. Commuters had to wade through knee-deep water to get into buses at the city bus station in East Fort. Much of the damage was caused by the overflowing of the Amayizhanjan Canal due to the insufficient height of the sidewalls in some places. The sidewalls were dismantled in some places to enable JCBs to enter the canal and remove the waste.

Mayor V.V. Rajesh maintained that the flooding was not caused due to the drains under the Corporation’s control. He said that the Corporation had begun pre-monsoon cleaning one-and-a-half months ago in all the 101 wards. All the drains under the Corporation were cleaned as part of this, he added.

“We are not running away from the issue. Such waterlogging has been happening for so many decades. The Corporation alone does not have the sufficient mechanism to address this issue. Major projects involving the Irrigation and other departments have to be implemented to solve this. When I met the Chief Minister, I had suggested that the State government should intervene. The response has been positive,” he said.

Minister promises action

Meanwhile, Minister for Water Resources Mons Joseph said on Sunday that the State government will take immediate action to resolve the waterlogging issue in Thiruvananthapuram city. The State Chief Engineer of the Irrigation department has been instructed to examine the cause of the waterlogging issue in the capital city, especially in Thampanoor and Chacka, and submit an urgent report.

He added that the Irrigation department has given the necessary preliminary approval to clean the Parvathy Puthanar and Amayizhanchan canals as requested by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Yet, the government is ready to discuss the issues with everyone, including the Mayor.

Ministers K. Muraleedharan and C.P. John held discussions with Mr. Joseph regarding taking immediate action to resolve the waterlogging issues in the city. Based on this, the government has decided to convene a high-level meeting in the presence of the three Ministers at 4 p.m. on June 2 to examine the issue and take the necessary remedial measures.