Chambakkara Canal protection wall collapse raises public safety concerns

Tripunithura: A 50-m stretch of protection wall along Chambakkara Canal collapsed on Wednesday night, bringing traffic along the busy Kannadikadu-Chambakkara Canal Road to a complete halt. The incident followed heavy rainfall and years of structural neglect, raising serious questions about safety and planning of canal-side infrastructure.

The collapsed section lies on wards 2, 3 and 4 of Maradu municipality, where a safety fence and footpath were recently constructed as part of Canal Shore Beautification project. However, opposition councillors of the municipality alleged that the work, done using ₹62 lakh from MLA fund, was unscientific and ignored the weak base of the existing protection wall, which is over 40 years old.

Following the incident, a parked car was saved with the help of fire and rescue services and locals after it slid dangerously close to the collapsed area.

According to ward 5 councillor Sheeja Sankumar, she earlier raised concerns about the vulnerability of the protection wall stretch in her ward, particularly due to frequent movement of barges transporting chemicals to FACT plant in Ambalamugal. She submitted a written complaint to irrigation department and raised the issue in the municipal council, warning of the dangers. However, she alleges that the council, dominated by ruling UDF councillors, went ahead with beautification projects in their wards while ignoring the high-risk ward 5.

Meanwhile, municipality chairperson Antony Ashanparambil told TOI that he has written to district collector, urging immediate action under disaster management plan. "The collapsed structure is a 40-year-old side wall maintained by inland waterways department. Similar incidents occurred at other sections in the past. Municipal council passed a resolution last year demanding urgent intervention in the matter," said Ashanparambil.

Municipality opposition leader CR Shanavas demanded a detailed inquiry into the alleged irregularities that led to the collapse of the protection wall.