Just two consecutive days of rain, and the people along the coastal areas in the district are going through a miserable time with the sea turning rough and resultant coastal erosion.
The situation has been particularly worse along the coastal belt coming under Kochi taluk since Monday night. Rain, which started lashing the district since Sunday night, has been continuing with varying degrees of intensity. Chellanam, Pallippuram, Edavanakkad and Nayarambalam were among the areas that reported sea erosion. Njarakkal Arattuvazhi beach, Nayarambalam Puthenkadappuram, Veliyathamparambu beach, Aniyil and Kuzhuppilly beach were among the affected places.
Furious waves swept past seawalls in many areas, inundating roads and in some cases areas in front of houses. The water was pumped out with the help of fire force personnel and volunteers. Drains were also unclogged to ensure free flow of water.
Kochi tahsildar Beegum Thahira visited the affected areas on Tuesday. “We had asked families in affected areas to shift to shelters in nearby schools on Monday night itself. But they were not willing to move out. We are constantly monitoring the situation,” Ms. Thahira said.
Excavators were pressed into service to fortify seawalls and to create a canal of sorts immediately beyond the seawall.
A temporary wall with trees and sand was being built to ensure that water breaching the seawall does not enter populated areas.
Edavanakkad panchayat president Jeevan Mitra said the situation was grim on the stretch between Aniyil and Kuzhuppilly. “The situation hasn’t deteriorated to a point demanding the relocation of families. But we are keeping a close watch considering that the area is vulnerable to coastal erosion,” he said.
The district disaster management authority said except for sea erosion, there had been no reports of destruction of property owing to rain.
