Ponnani: As monsoon clouds gather over Ponnani once again, fear of flooding is rising fast in Ezhuvathiruthi, where residents say the municipality is still unprepared for another waterlogging crisis.

The threat to the region stems mainly from overflowing river water and rainwater that fails to drain away. Meanwhile, residents maintain that filling canals for the six-lane road construction project, coupled with reclamation of paddy fields in the vicinity, has only intensified their concerns.

People in the area are also worried that the large pipes installed beneath Karma Road along the Bharathapuzha riverbank to drain rainwater from the Easwaramangalam region could become a major hazard. When the river water level rises, water flows back through these pipes and inundates the locality.

Locals have been demanding a permanent solution to the issue for years, but no effective remedy has yet been found. Residents had suggested installing a shutter mechanism for the pipes, but the authorities rejected the proposal, terming it impractical.

No concrete plan has so far been prepared to address the problem. As a result, hundreds of families living along the riverbank continue to spend every monsoon season under the shadow of fear. Though the municipality has undertaken pre monsoon cleaning and preparatory works, including the renovation of the Neelam Thodu canal, residents argue that these measures alone will not be enough to prevent waterlogging in Ponnani. The people of Ezhuvathiruthi suffered extensive losses during the two consecutive floods earlier.

Commenting on the issue, C V Sudha, chairperson of the Ponnani municipality, said most canals had already been cleaned to prevent waterlogging and that cleaning works were still continuing. “The process will be completed within a few days. She said, "Meetings have also been held with National Highway and PWD authorities and directions have been issued to remove obstructions to water flow along the roadside stretches.

However, T K Ashraf, opposition leader of the Ponnani municipality, held that the pre monsoon cleaning carried out by the civic body was not satisfactory. “The municipality has failed to make adequate preparations to tackle waterlogging. A comprehensive project must be prepared to permanently resolve the flooding issue in Ezhuvathiruthi,” he said.