Residents of Kochi rehab apartment warn of GCDA office siege over leaks, structural safety fears

Kochi: For the 78 families living in the P&T Apartment Towers in Kochi's Mundamveli, what was meant to be a long-awaited escape from decades of hardship has instead turned into another housing crisis. Barely two years after being rehabilitated into the newly built apartment complex, residents say they are battling relentless roof leaks, wall seepage and growing structural concerns, prompting them to issue a strong warning to the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA).

On Tuesday, the P&T Apartment Owners Association submitted a formal notice to the GCDA Secretary, stating that residents would lay siege to the authority’s office if water leakage continues during the upcoming monsoon showers. They warned of more severe protest measures if they are neglected again. 

The residents had moved into the Mundamveli apartment complex in January 2024 after spending years in unhygienic, dilapidated, waterlogged P&T Colony in Gandhinagar, where repeated demands for rehabilitation allegedly went unanswered. The housing project itself had faced prolonged delays, with construction that began in 2017 being completed only seven years later.

“We waited for years to move out of the old colony and believed all our struggles had finally come to an end when we entered the new flats in January 2024. But within weeks, during the first rains in February, water began leaking through roofs and walls. Initially it happened only when it rained, but now water seeps into lower-floor apartments whenever bathrooms are used on the upper floors,” said resident Saritha Madhavan.

Residents allege that the condition of the buildings has steadily worsened since then, with seepage spreading across multiple apartments and visible cracks appearing in parts of the structure. Some residents have also raised concerns about an alleged tilt in portions of the towers.

“We cannot continue living under leaking roofs while authorities keep asking for more time. If rainwater enters our homes again during the next heavy shower, residents will gather at the gates of the GCDA office in protest,” said Abhilash P Parameswaran, president of the P&T Apartment Owners Association.

The issue has been simmering for years and had earlier spilled into the political arena as well. Frustrated by what they called prolonged neglect and unfulfilled promises from successive political fronts, residents had even fielded independent candidates during local body elections to highlight their plight and protest against official inaction.

Now, with the monsoon season approaching once again, the agitation appears to be returning to the streets.

Efforts by the GCDA, which monitored the construction carried out by Thrissur District Labour Contract Cooperative Society (TDLCCS), to address the defects have meanwhile become entangled in disagreements between residents and technical authorities.

Following recommendations made by IIT Madras, which was engaged as a consultant to study defects in the building’s Pre-Engineered Building (PEB) design, the GCDA initiated a pilot waterproofing project in April to address internal bathroom leakage issues.

Under the trial, a two-coat leak-proof treatment was applied to the bathroom floor of one apartment, after which the area was flooded with water for 10 days to test the effectiveness of the solution. While GCDA engineering officials maintain that the trial yielded positive results, residents have opposed extending the same treatment to all 78 apartments immediately.

Association members insist that the waterproofing method should first be tested in a few more apartments before a full-scale rollout is undertaken. GCDA officials are currently preparing revised estimates based on the residents’ demand for additional trial units.

Another proposed remedial measure - a ₹28-lakh fibre plastering project for the exterior walls of the twin towers - has also been shelved after IIT Madras reportedly rejected the plan.

“Instead, the consultants recommended an alternative approach involving the sealing of structural joints using specialised waterproofing materials. However, residents have refused to allow the work to proceed unless IIT Madras representatives directly meet them and explain the proposed methodology in detail,” said sources. 

Concerns over the long-term structural stability of the buildings have further intensified after a proposed roof truss system with solar panels, planned using funds from the Kochi MLA’s development allocation, ran into technical hurdles.

According to an assessment report prepared by IIT Madras, certain structural components of the apartment complex do not conform to the provisions of Indian Standard Code IS 800:2007, which governs steel structures.

The report reportedly warned that the building would require structural strengthening before it could safely bear the additional load of the proposed roof truss and solar panel installation.

The assessment also cautioned that prolonged exposure to moisture could gradually corrode the steel framework and eventually affect the serviceability of the structure unless urgent waterproofing and corrosion-control measures are implemented.

With dark monsoon clouds gathering over Kochi, residents say they are no longer willing to settle for temporary fixes or prolonged bureaucratic procedures while the condition of their homes continues to deteriorate.