Infopark Kochi waterlogging: Bed profile study of Kadamprayar river in Kerala may help identify water flow issue

Infopark Kochi waterlogging: Bed profile study of Kadamprayar river in Kerala may help identify water flow issue

A bathymetry, or study of the ‘beds’ of waterbodies, may have to be conducted in Kadamprayar to verify whether the river bed has turned uneven, having potential repercussions for the smooth flow of water.

If the study shows that the river bed profile has an uneven surface, corrective measures will have to be taken.

Bathymetry is a study facilitating measurement of the depth of a water body. The execution of the study will depend on the allocation of funds. Funding could be raised either through corporate social responsibility funds or from agencies such as Kochi Metro Rail Limited or the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management or from Irrigation department’s funds.

The need for such a study in Kadamprayar has emerged in the wake of severe waterlogging experienced on the Infopark Kochi campus and nearby areas for two days running this week. The drainage network on the Infopark campus discharges the rainwater to Kadamprayar, leading to a public outcry over the neglected state of the river as the reason for the unprecedented waterlogging. Demolishing a temporary bund in Kadamprayar was supposed to ease flooding, though it did little good.

“The speed of water flow in Kadamprayar, which is almost like an independent river through the confluence of smaller canals, has been traditionally slow. Whether disruption to the flow has caused the waterlogging needs to be studied,” said Irrigation department sources.

Cleaning of Kadamprayar, including removal of water hyacinths, up to Manakkakadavu has been undergoing for the last couple of days.

Blocks in the drainage networks of Infopark Kochi or variation in the gradient owing to the development works on the campus and the neighbourhood have also emerged as potential reasons for the waterlogging.