NH project leaves Kollam family battling floods in their living room

Kollam: For Vijayamma and her family, the onset of rain no longer brings relief; it brings dread. Ever since construction began on the National Highway near their home (KV NRA 57) near Kadavoor Pallivetta Chira along the Kollam Bypass, their house has become increasingly vulnerable to flooding.

The most recent incident occurred between Friday night and Saturday morning, when a heavy downpour inundated the area. At around 4 am, the family woke up to find their home flooded, rooms soaked, belongings drenched, and water seeping far beyond the usual boundary of their yard.

Previously, rainwater would pool outside their house. But this time, it breached the threshold and poured inside, turning their living space into a waterlogged mess.

The source of the problem appears to be the ongoing construction of an overpass in the area. Rainwater accumulating on the uneven surface of the overpass and flowing down the sloping service road is now being diverted straight into Vijayamma’s property.

An old canal that once carried excess rainwater away was levelled during the roadworks. In its place, a new drainage system was installed, but it lies significantly below road level. To make matters worse, small outlets cut into the service road to direct runoff into the drain have become clogged with silt and debris.

Though workers from the contractor’s team cleared the blockages on Saturday, locals fear it’s a temporary fix. With each rainfall, more soil erosion occurs, likely to clog the outlets again.

Now, Vijayamma and her family are calling for a long-term solution before the next spell of rain brings another sleepless night,and another flooded home.