NH 66 construction in Chittatukara panchayat in Ernakulam has triggered complaints that private individuals are filling local drainage channels with soil and construction material, potentially worsening waterlogging near the highway, according to a report by Madhyamam.
The construction of the national highway has already left several smaller drains cut off on both sides of the project, the report said. Residents are now seeking measures to reconnect the minor channels to the main drainage network so that rainwater can flow away from populated areas.
At Machamthuruth, local people allege that a drain is being filled with soil and gravel to create access from a private property to the highway’s service road. The reported filling is linked to an effort to provide a route between the property and the service road. The allegation has not been accompanied in the supplied report by a response from the person concerned or by an official statement from the panchayat or highway authorities.
The complaints point to a wider drainage problem created when road construction divides existing local water channels. Small drains often form part of a connected system that carries rainwater towards larger channels. When those links are blocked, narrowed or filled, water can remain trapped around roads and built-up areas. In Chittatukara, residents have called for the smaller drains on both sides of the NH 66 project to be linked with the main channels as a way to prevent water accumulation.
A major drain at Munambam Junction is also reported to be blocked by waste. The report said waterlogging becomes severe during rain near the existing national highway and in the Neendूर area. These locations are therefore facing two reported drainage pressures: interruptions to smaller channels associated with the highway works and obstruction of an important existing drain by waste.
The issue places local drainage management alongside the larger infrastructure project. NH 66 construction has altered the physical connections between roadside and neighbourhood channels, while the reported filling of drains for private access could further reduce the available path for stormwater. The impact described by residents is particularly significant during rainfall, when blocked or disconnected channels can leave water near transport corridors and surrounding settlements.
The immediate demand from residents is for the minor drains to be connected to the main channels and for the drainage obstruction near Munambam Junction to be addressed. The supplied report does not specify whether inspections, enforcement action or remedial works have been ordered by Chittatukara panchayat, the highway construction authorities or any other agency. Further official clarification is awaited on the status of the alleged filling and the proposed measures to restore drainage connectivity.
