Heavy rains inundated several parts of Kochi city on Tuesday, August 30, with waterlogging on railway tracks affecting the train services at the Ernakulam Junction station (South), as well as in areas along the bypass from the Ernakulam Town station (North) and Tripunithura. A railway official told TNM that the water was affecting the reliability of the electronic circuits that run the signal systems, due to which signals are operated manually, leading to delays.

Three trains were partially cancelled due to the waterlogging. The Kollam-Ernakulam Memu train ended service at Tripunithura, while the Kannur-Alappuzha Executive stopped service at Edappally. Both trains resumed their return service in the afternoon from Tripunithura and Edappally, respectively. Mangala Express stopped service at Ernakulam North. Three other trains were diverted to Alappuzha to avoid the waterlogged tracks between Ernakulam Town and Tripunithura. These include the Parasuram express, Sabari Express and the Kannur Jan Shatabdi. Several trains were also delayed due to manual signalling.

Low-lying areas and those prone to waterlogging in Ernakulam were inundated after Tuesday’s rains. Following measures taken by the Railways, officials had been able to prevent waterlogging on tracks and it had ceased to be a major concern for Ernakulam. The steps taken included raising track levels, upgrading signal systems and coordinating with the corporation in cleaning canals in the vicinity.

However, these measures were insufficient in the face of the exceptionally heavy rains that flooded most parts of the city on Tuesday, the railway official said. He added that this is the first such incident this year, and the worst in terms of scale in the last two years.

A man stands in a waterlogged residential area in Kochi. Pic: Akmal Ahmed

“Even though the Railways is equipped with motors and other equipment to pump water out, waterlogging in all surrounding areas makes such steps ineffective. Train services can go back to normal only if the water recedes naturally from the tracks,” he added.

Incessant rains had begun in the early hours of Tuesday, flooding major and minor roads and entering buildings in several parts of the city. The KSRTC bus stand and MG Road, both regular sites of flooding, were under water. Road traffic was affected, and matters were worsened by vehicles breaking down in the water. Several parts of the city experienced power outages too.

An inundated house in Karukapally. Pic: Akmal Ahmed

Alex Joshy, a resident of Lissie Quarters near the Ernakulam North Railway Station, said that water had entered his house and other buildings in his neighbourhood and risen to the height of his waist. Shops in Lissie junction were flooded and shopkeepers had to pump out water with motors, Alex said. Similar waterlogging was reported from other parts of the city including Pachalam, Ayyappankavu, South, Kadavanthra, Elamakkara, Kaloor, Thammanam and Vennala.

AR Padmadas, Councillor of ward 47 under the Kochi Corporation, said that 80% of his ward in Chalikkavattom was submerged in Tuesday’s rain. “Water entered approximately 300 houses in my ward. The situation is the same across all wards in the corporation,” he said. Areas that have remained unaffected by previous floods too witnessed waterlogging on Tuesday, he said. “My house is on a comparatively higher plane and has never faced any water logging issue. But today’s rains saw water almost reaching my doorstep. Had it lasted half an hour more, my house would have been affected.”

This is the third time this year that life in Kochi has been severely affected due to flooding following a bout of heavy rain. The previous incidents were in May and in the first week of August. Many city residents took to social media to say that the water levels were higher than that in 2018, when incessant rains had led to severe flooding in many parts of Kerala. This is despite the corporation claiming to have completed its pre-monsoon drainage cleaning in most areas.

Padmadas blamed the heavy incessant rains and the high tide for Tuesday’s flood. He also alleged that all the rivers and lakes surrounding Kochi have not been dredged in more than four decades. “Years of sedimentation, exacerbated by the sand that came in during the 2018 floods, has reduced the holding capacity of the rivers and lakes. As long as the rivers and lakes are not dredged, no amount of work on the drainage system in Kochi will be effective,” he added.