In 2018, as Kerala reeled under massive floods, the shutters of the Cheruthoni dam were opened after 26 years. The gushing water submerged the bridge connecting two ends of the town and erased houses and shops. The town’s arterial road partially caved in. Among the town’s residents who watched the disaster unfold in front of their eyes was E.P. Nasar, a 48-year-old auto-rickshaw driver.

“We learnt through the news media that the floodgates of Cheruthoni dam might be opened as the rain intensified and prolonged for days,” recalls Nasar. The residents on either side of the bridge watched helplessly as road connectivity was cut off. The district administration and rescue forces struggled to reach major parts of the town for disaster relief.

Nasar remembers that the destruction of the main road was the most grievous issue for the town. “A 1.5 km stretch of the road between Alinchuvadu and Cheruthoni collapsed partially,” says Nasar, adding that excavators could not reach the area as the remainder of the road was buried in mud. “That's how we became completely isolated,” he says.

According to CEEW analysis, Idukki received 60 per cent more rainfall than the average over the last decade in August 2018.

After the 2018 floods, the residents and the administration realised that with the rising impacts of climate change, measures must be taken to climate-proof the town’s critical infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.

“Despite the trail of destruction left by the floodwaters, the District Administration urgently intervened to ease our woes. They first made the road motorable,” says Nasar. The administration then commissioned the construction of a strong concrete wall along the approached road. To reduce the impact of gushing water if the floodgates were opened, tetrapods were also placed along the concrete wall.

“Crores of rupees have been spent to make the road sturdy enough to withstand another major flood,” a confident Nasar says.

The government also took measures to build a new route to reach Cheruthoni town. The new road via Painav links 12 of the 14 wards of the panchayat and provides an alternative route using which officials and rescue forces can reach the town.

The town’s residents were also vocal about the need for a new sturdy bridge to replace the 60-year-old Cheruthoni bridge, which was submerged in 2018. The proposal was approved, and the construction is in progress.

Climate-proofing some of the critical infrastructures of the town has instilled confidence in the residents. “As far as the people of Idukki are concerned, Cheruthoni would not be isolated in the event of another flood,” Nasar says.

At a time when climate extreme events pose a serious threat to critical infrastructure, Cheruthoni points towards the need to develop a climate-proof infrastructure index for India. Such an index can help identify and map strategies to protect the country’s existing and planned infrastructure against climate risks.

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