Kochi is seeking an escape route from frequent urban flooding and rising sea level by transforming into a ‘sponge city’.
The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), the government agency mandated with the planning of the Kochi Corporation and its suburban areas, is charting out a course of action to make Kochi the first sponge city in Kerala.
A sponge city is a comparatively recent urban construction model aimed at mitigating floods and strengthening ecological infrastructure and drainage systems in cities.
“Kochi is a potential candidate to become the first sponge city in the state,” M M Sheeba, senior town planner, GCDA, said during a session on 'Future of Kochi' at the two-day National Urban Conclave – Bodhi 2022 that concluded at the Bolgatty Palace in Kochi on Monday.
Sheeba said Kochi has to explore the sponge model as the city is already overburdened with the adverse impacts of urbanisation and environmental challenges, including climate change.
“Kochi is among the cities that face the challenge of the rise in sea levels. The sea level in Kochi will rise by 11 cm by 2030, 23 cm by 2050 and 1 metre by 2130,” said the GCDA official said, citing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report published last year.
With the sponge city model, the GCDA aims to preserve rainwater as a resource, mitigate urban waterlogging and flooding, improve urban water quality, restore the ecological functions of urban water and improve the urban microclimate.
The sponge city model, if implemented, will keep the city or the central business district (CBD) as a parent city with controlled constructions while the development works will be expanded to the suburban areas.
Sheeba, in her presentation, named civic bodies Keezhmadu, Puthenkurissu and Mulanthuruthy as the possible areas which will see a growth of infrastructure as Kochi will feel some comfort.
The GCDA is planning to develop satellite towns and ensure smooth connectivity with ring roads. “We must have systematic spatial planning,” she said.
Lokanath Behera, IPS, managing director, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd, Raghuraman, secretary, Goshree Islands Development Authority, Rajan C of Centre for Heritage Environment and Development and Hari S of KIIFB also gave detailed presentations of the projects being carried out by the government entities. Shiji E Chandran, chief town planner, Vigilance, LSGD, moderated the session.
