A stretch of National Highway between Kuthukuzhi and Neriamangalam in Ernakulam district is facing repeated water-pipeline failures, open road excavations and night-time safety risks, according to a report by Mathrubhumi. The reported damage has affected at least six locations along the corridor and has required sections of the newly upgraded road to be cut open for repairs.
The affected points include the area in front of Ayyankavu temple, the waiting shelter in Nellimattom town, two locations near the Kavalangad Service Cooperative Bank head office, Kavalangad junction, the Oonnukal bus stop and Neriamangalam town. The report said several excavated sections remain hazardous for pedestrians and vehicles, particularly after dark.
Plastic cones and dividers have been placed near some of the damaged areas. However, poor lighting reportedly means that motorists often notice the excavations only when they are close to them, forcing sudden manoeuvres. Vehicles travelling through the road at night have reportedly faced repeated accident risks after encountering pits in the carriageway.
The damaged infrastructure is linked to the main pipeline of the Kuttamangalam drinking-water project, described in the report as a major water-supply scheme in Kavalangad panchayat. The pipeline was reportedly old and remained beneath the middle of the road after the highway was upgraded. The report said the line was not relocated when an approximately eight-kilometre section was widened.
At Oonnukal, a section of road near the Catholic church and bus stop has been excavated. Similar work has been carried out near the cooperative bank in Nellimattom and near the main bus stop at Kavalangad junction, where roads leading to the Latin church and a school also meet. In the latest reported incident, a distribution main broke about 200 metres from Kavalangad junction. A trench approximately six feet deep was dug close to the centre of the road, but the repaired section had not been fully resurfaced at the time of the report.
The report said some local allegations link the failures to heavy vehicles using the route. HMS state vice-president Manoj Gopi and constituency president Vavachan Thoppilkudy alleged that coordination failures, and what they described as collusion between the highway contractor and the Water Authority, had caused the situation. Manoj Gopi said the union would complain to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Vigilance Department. The report did not include a response from the Water Authority, highway authorities or the contractor.
