Kerala landslides: Stranded families at landslip-hit Vilangad in Kozhikode seek help for food kits

Over 200 families stranded in landslip-hit Vilangad village in Kozhikode in Kerala seek public help for essential items.

Over 200 families stranded in different parts of the landslip-hit Vilangad village in Kozhikode’s Vanimel panchayat in Kerala have called for public help for essential items such as rice, sugar and other food items as no grocery shops are not available near the area.

Members of these stranded families in the upland area are solely depending on the supply of a help desk opened by the panchayat authorities, which is finding it difficult to meet the requirements.

“The two small grocery shops near Manjacheeli, one of the affected areas, are out of stock now. As there are five relief camps now, the panchayat authorities are struggling to address the situation,” says Selma Raju, Vanimel grama panchayat member who represents Vilangad.

She says the impact of the multiple landslips which shook the village on June 30 has been devastating.

According to the panchayat authorities, supply of food kits comprising essential items will be of great help to the stranded families. Arrangements are in place at the Vanimel panchayat office to collect unsorted items and supply it in the form of kits to the needy. The panchayat is also taking care of over 800 relief camp members in five different spots.

Revenue department officials who visited some of the affected locations reveal that 18 houses have been destroyed at Vilangad and surrounding villages in the multiple landslips. The calamity has damaged over 60 houses. Casualties were minimal mainly since the inhabited areas were quite less in the landslide-prone region, they said.

Power supply that was disrupted is yet to be restored in these remote villages though maintenance works have been underway for two days. According to KSEB officials, over 150 lamp posts were destroyed at Vilangad. Over 15 transformers were submerged in floodwaters. As per the preliminary assessment, KSEB suffered a loss of ₹50 lakh. It would take at least one more week to restore the supply, they said.