With waves lashing the seawall and sea water entering their fishing hamlet, residents of c in ward 3 of Tiruvottiyur zone of the Chennai Corporation said they have not slept since Saturday night.
Kasiamma, who spent Saturday night in knee-deep water, said that her grandchildren woke up crying hearing the noise of the waves crashing on the seawall. “Our homes are on the edge of the seawall and every time there is a cyclone, water enters. Every street is inundated,” she said.
The hamlet has around 100 houses and residents say that despite the presence of the seawall, water intrudes into the fishing hamlet. The water stays for a few days and damages the houses. Kuppan, another resident, said that every year, each house owner shells out close to Rs. 20,000 to repair the damage. “Fearing the waves, many youngsters have moved to nearby fishing hamlets and have taken houses on rent in those places.”
Natarajan, the fishermen’s panchayat president, said water entered the village even during full moon. “Last night, our nets got buried in the sand, fibre reinforced plastic boats were piled up on top of each other and our catamarans were damaged. Ever since the tsunami, we have been asking the government for a plan to relocate us,” he said.
