Restoration of remaining 200 metres of Mullassery canal likely to be taken up after monsoon

The Hindu

13-05-2025

The Irrigation department is likely to take up the restoration of the remaining 200-odd metres of the Mullassery canal under Operation Breakthrough only after the monsoon.
Of the total 829-metre stretch of the canal, the Irrigation department claims to have completed the restoration of 625 metres. The stretch between Chittoor Road and M.G. Road remains to be restored.
'For now, the priority will be completing the resurfacing of pathways along the restored stretch of the canal before the onset of the monsoon. We are hopeful that the restored portion will help address waterlogging near the Ernakulam KSRTC depot and nearby areas like Karikkamuri as water can be channelled through the Vivekananda canal to the Thevara–Pernandoor canal,' said Irrigation department sources.
The restoration of the Mullassery canal has already been inordinately delayed, drawing the Kerala High Court's rebuke on more than one occasion. In February, the High Court had directed the authorities to complete the restoration work within three months, failing which the court would have to summon the District Collector. A meeting chaired by Mayor M. Anilkumar in January and attended by District Collector N.S.K. Umesh had reviewed Operation Breakthrough — a project aimed at resolving inundation in Kochi city — and issued an ultimatum to the Irrigation department to complete the canal restoration by June.
The schedule of works up to May was also approved at the meeting, which expressed dissatisfaction over the department's delay in completing the restoration process that had been ongoing for the past three years. Furthermore, a directive was issued to the department to avoid further delay.
'The restoration of the remaining stretch involves the crossing of the M.G. Road. We will also have to coordinate with Kochi Metro Rail Limited to ensure that no damage is caused to the metro pillar along the stretch. Since the usual method of excavation, which requires prolonged road closure, may not be viable on M.G. Road, we may have to explore more sophisticated methods such as precast technology, though a decision will only be taken by the monitoring committee chaired by the Collector. We are also considering cross drains instead of side drains along the stretch as the former would necessitate shifting numerous utilities leading to further delays,' said Irrigation department sources.
The department is also revising the estimates as several emergency works required at the site had to be carried out during the course of the project.