‘So far so good’: a mix of cheer and fear among residents of a street in Choolaimedu

James Boswell, that biographer and flawless mirror of Samuel Johnson, records the master essayist as having said, not exactly in these words, that when a man knows the gallows awaits him in a fortnight, the thought would grip him intensely. Boswellian presentation of Johnson’s thoughts is not the main point here. That statement attributed to Johnson pictures the mind of Zackaria Colomy Fourth Street residents. Stormwater drain work has been carried out on Zackaria Colony Fourth Street in Choolaimedu, and that explains why rainwater from showers, some intense, in recent days did not linger on the street. Though this is reason for cheer, their mind is half gripped by what could happen in a fortnight.

“Previously, even showers of this nature would inundate the street,” says a resident, but his positive tone is as brief as a firefly flash. He adds almost immediately: “So far so good! But the SWD line on Zackaria Colony Fourth Street is yet to be connected to the main SWD line, which travels via Choolaimedu High Road and Vanniar Street and the final destination is Trustpuram Canal.”

The resident shared an image of the pending work at the junction of Choolaimedu High Road and Vanniar Street, noting that work has been stalled on account of rain.

A local GCC official notes that the connecting SWD line has to be constructed in a transverse course on Choolaimedu High Road and be linked to the existing stormwater drain on Vanniar Street from where it line heads to the Trustpuram canal.

The official observes that this work should have been completed last week but for the recent showers. Vehicular traffic in the area is also a challenge, according to the official.

What if a cloudburst happens before the work is completed? That is the collective worry of these residents, and that seems to “concentrate” their minds, as it did the person Samuel Johnson was talking about, which was recorded in his biography by Boswell.

The GCC official allays their fears. The work will be completed as soon as possible. And on the Trustpuram canal improvement work, the overall redevelopment work will take time, but what has been done so far is sufficient to take care of any challenges during this monsoon. The official notes that the desilting work has been completed, and water is flowing freely in the canal.