The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : 12 houses destroyed in heavy rain

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

12 houses destroyed in heavy rain

Staff Reporter

Affected families shifted to relief camps in the city

149 houses damaged in district
Power failure in several areas in city

— Photo: S. Mahinsha

WATER WOES: Drinking water was a scarce commodity in the flooded Puthenpalam area, near Kannammoola, on Sunday after surging storm-water swept away a portion of the pipeline of the Kerala Water Authority passing beneath the Puthenpalam bridge.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Twelve houses were destroyed and 149 damaged as heavy rain triggered partly by an ‘upper air circulation’ over the southern peninsula soaked the district on Sunday. The city received 12 cm of rainfall between 8.30 p.m. on Saturday and 8.30 a.m. on Sunday, while the international airport here recorded 13 cm of rainfall.

In Neyyattinkara taluk, five houses were destroyed and 35 damaged. In Thiruvananthapuram taluk, seven houses were destroyed and 114 damaged in the rain. No loss of life has been reported yet. However, of five people who set out to bathe in the Arabian Sea off Vizhinjam, one has been reported missing. Another person in the group was rescued by personnel of the Marine Enforcement unit. No damage to houses has been reported — as on Sunday evening — from Nedumangad and Chirayinkeezhu taluks.

Revenue authorities opened relief camps in the city — at Ulloor, Beemappally, Kunnukuzhy, Kumarapuram, Kalady and Kulathoor — as surging storm-waters caused rivers and drainage canals to overflow. By Sunday evening, 28 families had been relocated to various relief camps. Of these, 18 families were housed at the camp at Kumarapuram.

At Kakkamoola near here, a breach in the bund on the Vellayani Lake led to the destruction of three houses. In Nemom, three houses were destroyed and three others damaged on Sunday. At Harvipuram at Kudappanakkunnu, one house was destroyed in the rain. At Kadakampally and Manacaud, one house was destroyed and another damaged.

A huge tree that came crashing down on a house opposite the Child Welfare Council at Thycaud damaged a car that was parked in the porch. The house was also damaged in the incident which occurred shortly after 4 a.m. on Sunday. It took Fire and Rescue Services personnel more than two hours to clear the road.

Puthenpalam inundated

As many as 114 houses in the Puthenpalam area, near Kannammoola, were flooded (some partially) on Sunday following heavy rain. Water supply to Kannammoola and adjoining areas was disrupted since Sunday morning when a portion of an 8-inch pipeline of the Kerala Water Authority passing beneath the Puthenpalam bridge was swept away in the surging waters. Officials of the KWA throttled control valves on the line — originating at the Observatory reservoir — to prevent reverse flow of storm-water into the pipeline network.

District Collector Sanjay Kaul ordered that the ‘pozhi’ on the Veli Lake be breached to allow the storm-waters to drain out to sea. Residents of Puthenpalam had a tough time ferrying drinking water brought in water tankers to their homes. Though Revenue authorities opened a relief camp at the Government UPS at Kunnukuzhy, most of the families at Puthenpalam refused to relocate there.

“Many families said they would move into a house at Puthenpalam itself. We cannot take responsibility for this, as we cannot set up a relief camp on private property,” Thiruvananthapuram Tehsildar C.R. Krishnakumar said. Arrangements have been made to supply food to all those housed in relief camps, he added.

Corporation councillor R. Satheesh kumar told The Hindu that though a proposal to construct apartments for the families at Puthenpalam was already in place, the construction work was yet to begin. “The builder now says that piling work would have to be done on the spot. Any further delay in beginning the construction work would lead to a serious situation in this area,” he added.

Officials of the KWA said the portion of the water line that crosses the canal at Puthenpalam would be raised to the level of the bridge to prevent a recurrence of Sunday’s incident.

Water supply to this area was yet to be restored even late on Sunday night.

Flood waters also entered areas near the temple at Thozhuvancode, near Cosmopolitan Hospital and Kalady.

The heavy rain also led to power cuts in many parts of the city.

According to Kerala State Electricity Board officials, incidents of broken power lines and electric posts were reported from 15 locations in the city. Moreover, some 11 kV feeders, including the ones feeding power to the Agricultural College and to Pattoor, sustained damages on Saturday night.

An electric post was uprooted at Kalladymugham at Manacaud.

Director of the Met Centre here M.D. Ramachandran said Kerala and Lakshadweep would have widespread rainfall, with isolated heavy rain, over the next 48 hours. Though the effects of the ‘upper air circulation’ would weaken over the next two days, the effects of a ‘trough’ on the Western coast of Kerala would be felt for the next two to three days. The city received 2 cm. rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m. on Sunday.

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