KOCHI: Puthenvelikkara and the surrounding areas of the district had the brunt of the devastation from the 2018 flood. Despite the widespread devastation in the area, residents reiterated the plea for a permanent solution.The threat of flooding fell on deaf ears, but now the local population is in the process of drawing up a disaster response plan through a concerted effort by citizens and a local educational institution.
The survey will be coordinated by the Community Resource Center, established under the local authority’s Disaster Management Planning project. The Disaster Mitigation Plan will help authorities develop strategies to take effective action to combat natural disasters.”The civil protection plan is not only something that is used to deal with floods and similar situations, it will also provide all the geographical information for the implementation of development aid,” Puthenvelikkara and coordinator of the disaster management planning project. Climatologist CG Madhusoodhanan is a project advisor for whom the survey is conducted by students from the SNM Institute of Management and Technology, Maliankara. Shajan said Puthenvelikkara, Kunnukara and Chendamangalam are the main flood-prone areas in Kerala. in the valley where the Chalakudy River meets the Periyar.
The river is also narrow and therefore a scientific approach is required. The height marked on it is 4.40 meters above sea level and this is the basis for the flood maps, “he added. They plan to complete the survey in March.”The 45 final year civil engineering students at the SNM Institute conduct the survey as part of their final project. The road profile between Juma Masjid and Kadavu Station, Puthenvelikkara has been completed. The next step is to identify low lying areas like Thuruthikkadavu. In some areas, locals have marked the highwater level during the recent flood. We need to do a flood map below to determine how high the water is based on the amount of rain received, “said Reshma KR, Department Head,Civil Engineering, SNM Institute. Shajan said they already have a rain gauge that will help the one received Calculate the amount of rain in real time. ” When completed, the survey will help provide a database of land elevation markings in various areas in Panchayat, flooded areas, tidal flood mapping, areas at risk and areas to be built in the future,