Heavy rains and rough sea combined to batter the Alappuzha coast for the second day on Sunday, with more than 190 houses suffering partial damage and 15 houses being completely damaged across the district.
The total loss caused by the monsoon over the last one week has crossed Rs. 20 lakhs, according to district administration statistics, with the damage on Saturday and Sunday alone amounting to Rs. 3.5 lakhs.
While rough waves forced sea water into more than a hundred houses and uprooted several trees along the coastal belt, particularly in areas left unprotected by seawalls, heavy rains are continuing to trouble the perennially water-logged Kuttanad region. The heightened water flow from the high ranges has led to rising water-level in the Pampa and Vembanad Lake, threatening to submerge several low-lying areas if the rains continue for one more day.
A couple of stretches on the Alappuzha-Changanassery Road were inundated in the morning, but the water receded by noon.
The areas where the damage was felt most on the coast included a few parts of Cherthala, Ambalapuzha, Purakad, Karoor, Arattupuzha and Thrikkunnapuzha while damage by the rains were witnessed in Karthikapally, Cheppad, Edathua, Thalavady and a few areas in Arattupuzha.
So far, no families have been evacuated on the coast, but the administration is ready to open relief camps wherever and whenever necessary with a control room at the District Collectorate monitoring the situation round the clock, officials said.
