Heavy rain, strong winds make life miserable in coastal, low-lying areas in Ernakulam

Heavy rain and strong winds lashed various parts of Ernakulam on Tuesday as people living in coastal areas and low-lying regions bore the brunt of the weather situation

Heavy rain and strong winds lashed various parts of Ernakulam on Tuesday as people living in coastal areas and low-lying regions bore the brunt of the weather situation.

Damage to property was reported from various taluks including Muvattupuzha, Kanayannur, Kochi, Kothamangalam and Paravur. The coastal areas of Nayarambalam, Njarakkal, Kannamaly and a section of Chellanam experienced flooding after sea water inundated several houses.

Within the city limits, the KSRTC bus station and its premises were flooded amidst heavy downpour in the morning. Commuters had a tough time as they had to wade through the dirty water. Passengers and KSRTC employees complained that the flood situation in the area remained the same despite tall claims by the authorities that steps had been taken to avoid the situation.

Strong winds accompanying the rain resulted in trees getting uprooted in various areas. It took nearly five hours of hard work by personnel of the Department of Fire and Rescue Services to remove a tree that uprooted near the S.N. Junction at Palarivattom. Two bike riders were injured in the incident. A house near Thevara ferry was destroyed after a tree fell over it. A major accident was averted on the Muvattupuzha District and Sessions Court premises after a nearby wall caved in and fell on a car. Nobody was inside the car at the time of the accident.

The coastal communities in Veliyatham parambu near Nayarambalam faced the fury of the sea as water entered several houses in the morning. Local residents blamed the district administration and elected representatives for not taking adequate steps to check sea erosion. They also refused to move to relief camps as a mark of protest. The situation was no different at Kannamaly and some of the wards in Chellanam.

Several houses in Kannamaly North, Cheriyakadavu, Companypadi, Kattiparambu and Andikadavu were inundated. Representatives of V4Kochi and Chellanam Janakeeya Vedhi alleged that sea intrusion was severe in areas outside the stretch where seawall was constructed using tetrapods. Elected members of the affected wards in Chellanam said that their longstanding demand for setting up proper geo bags and seawall remained neglected.

The district administration said that necessary directions had been issued to local bodies to open camps in affected areas. Secretaries of local bodies have also been told to remove ‘dangerous’ trees, especially in educational institutions and along the roads to prevent accidents.