Storm water drainage system soon.

The storm water drainage system in the city, undertaken by the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP), is nearing completion.

K. Mohan, project manager of KSUDP, Kozhikode, said 90 per cent of the work had been completed and the rest would be finished by the end of May, before the onset of the monsoon.

The Rs.15-crore storm water drainage system was envisaged to reduce large-scale flooding of city roads during monsoon. There are 10 stretches of roads in the heart of the city that come under the project. The drainage work is in progress at the Mofussil Bus tand junction as well as on Sales Tax Road. The work on Karapparamba- P.M. Kutty Road will begin as soon as the design is approved. Earlier, works were completed on the stretches between Kairali Theatre and Focus Mall, Mofussil Bus Stand and Chemmanur Jewellery, Fathima Hospital and Azhakodi temple.

The existing drainage in various parts of the city are around 50- years-old and do not have the capacity to carry all the water during monsoon. The new pipelines being laid as part of the project were designed in consultation with the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) and have enough capacity to accommodate the water.

The work between the Mofussil Bus tand and Conolly Canal taken out in May 2015 had met with an unexpected stumbling block in the form of a public protest at Azhakodi against laying the pipelines beyond R.P. Mall. The KSUDP had to abandon that stretch. Now, the water from Mavoor Road is taken to Conolly Canal through the main road.

The Hindu