Frequent flooding on banks of Aviyil and Vellayil canals in Kozhikode raises concern
The Hindu
Councillor demands widening the mouths of waterbodies
Wherever it rains in Kozhikode city, be it at West Hill or at Mananchira, the people living on the banks of the Aviyil and Vellayil canals near the beach need to brace up for a flood. The region has become increasingly prone to flooding of late, with all the water from the heart of the city flowing into the canals that have very narrow exit routes into the sea.
“These canals were natural drains in the past and are networked in such a way that water from the West Hill Guest House in the north to the Red Cross Road in the south flows into them ultimately,” said C.P. Sulaiman, the councillor of Thoppayil ward of Kozhikode Corporation.
Though the flooding has been happening for a long time, the situation has turned worse now with most of the wetlands nearby getting filled and buildings being constructed on them. The decades-old septic tanks in the region have also started leaking. The floodwater worsens the situation and causes the spread of contagious diseases such as jaundice, malaria, dengue and leptospirosis. Vellayil and Thoppayil have become the hub of contagious diseases in the Corporation area.