Alappuzha: The Alappuzha–Changanassery (AC) Road—promoted as a climate-resilient infrastructure lifeline for the flood-prone region of Kuttanad—has once again failed the test of Kerala’s monsoon. With the first major rains of the season, significant portions of the newly reconstructed road have been submerged, rendering key stretches impassable and drawing harsh criticism from local residents who claim their warnings were repeatedly ignored.

The AC Road, a critical 24-kilometer arterial route connecting Alappuzha and Changanassery, was severely damaged in the catastrophic floods of 2018 and 2019. It was subsequently chosen as a flagship project under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative (RKI), a state-wide post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction program supported by the World Bank. The project, initially estimated at ₹671 crore, eventually swelled to over ₹800 crore due to changes in the design and implementation.

Government authorities had claimed that the redesign—featuring elevated road sections, drainage upgrades, and five flyovers at low-lying junctions—would protect the road from future inundations. But residents say the latest flooding exposes the superficiality of those claims.

Community members in the Kuttanad region, well-acquainted with the local hydrology and topography, had repeatedly requested additional flyovers and better elevation calibration in vulnerable areas such as Mankombu, Ramankary, and Vezhapra. They warned that unless the road's elevation accounted for seasonal flooding patterns, waterlogging and disruptions would persist.

“We were told that modern engineering solutions had been implemented, but they ignored what we tried to tell them from the beginning,” said S. Joseph, a resident of Ramankary. “Now the same road is under water, and we are again cut off.”

Farmers, traders, and daily commuters have expressed growing frustration over repeated neglect. In many areas, people are using boats to cross sections of what is supposed to be a high-tech flood-resistant road. Several schools and medical centers in the region are now hard to access, reigniting concerns about public safety and mobility.

Officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) and Rebuild Kerala Authority have acknowledged the flooding but attributed it to “unexpectedly intense early rains.” They also insisted that the road performed “better than in previous years,” though admitted there were “localised failures.”

This explanation has been met with skepticism by civil society groups and engineers who point out that the road was submerged in areas precisely identified by residents and local panchayats as high-risk zones during stakeholder consultations—many of which were allegedly only symbolic or not acted upon.

Experts argue that the situation underscores a recurring issue in disaster recovery and public infrastructure planning: insufficient participation from local communities. “Technical planning without community input, especially in ecologically sensitive and flood-prone zones like Kuttanad, is short-sighted,” said urban planner R. Venugopal. “Locals are not just stakeholders; they are often the most reliable sources of on-the-ground insight.”

As calls grow for an immediate review of the road’s flood-resistance measures and greater transparency in project evaluation, the Kerala government is under pressure to reassess how it incorporates citizen feedback in future infrastructure endeavors.

With monsoon season just beginning, the fate of the AC Road may determine more than just transportation access—it may become a defining test of how Kerala balances modern engineering with traditional ecological wisdom in a rapidly changing climate.