Flooding in the basement floor of the new building of the Kochi Corporation has emerged as a matter of serious concern for the civic authorities.
The basement area, which is spread over nearly 1.25 lakh sq.ft., is flooded with water from the Kochi backwaters. There were times when water reached a height of up to 3 metres from the floor level, and the civic authorities had to pump it out to clear the area. The basement area can accommodate nearly 200 cars. The issue of flooding surfaced at a time when the Corporation was mopping up its resources to complete the construction of the building, which has missed several deadlines.
The Congress-led Opposition councillors organised a novel protest to bring the issue to public focus. A section of the councillors, led by Antony Kureethara, Congress leader in the council, recently went inside the basement area in a coracle as part of the protest.
The civic body shall take immediate steps to arrest the inflow of saline water into the basement floor and salvage the building, said Mr. Kureethara.
The water level in the basement is equal to that of the Kochi backwaters. The incursion of saline water is sure to damage the structure and corrode the iron bars used in the construction of the building. The civic authorities are taking a lethargic approach to the issue and are busy going ahead with the finishing work. They have even completed flooring of the basement, which has been flooded. The flooring must have been damaged in the saline water incursion, he said.
Mr. Kureethara also demanded a comprehensive probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, a senior Corporation official said an expert team would be brought in to find ways to arrest the inflow of water. The agency will also look into the issue of whether there has been any design failure. Remedial measures will be initiated after obtaining the report, he said.
The official exuded confidence that the building was structurally safe. However, he felt that the remedial measures would add to the financial burden of the civic body.
