Abdul Rahman (61), a fish vendor residing in Sathya Nagar on the banks of Sangelipallam Odai, a tributary of Noyyal, is third time lucky to escape when his home was flooded by up to about four feet in the early hours of Monday.
Previous floods
“The previous two floods that occurred about 18 and 20 years ago have been less severe than the one I encountered this time,” Mr. Rahman, who originally hails from Vadakanchery in Kerala, told The Hindu .
The flood this year was a bit intense as it claimed the lives of six persons. Three are missing.
Lady Luck smiled on Mr. Rahman and his family as they managed to wake up and run to safety as the flood water entered his house, which is situated on poromboke land with no patta in his possession.
“I bought this house from someone only to avoid living in rental houses, as the rates have been soaring high,” he said.
However, his son Mohammed Rafeeq's hut situated in the vicinity caved in as the water gushed into the dwelling, though he too managed to escape unhurt.
The case of Abdul Rahman and all other affected people spread over 12 hamlets situated alongside River Noyyal and its tributaries could serve as an eye-opener for all stakeholders as the majority of the dwellings have come up by encroaching on the poromboke land, flouting all rules.
Most of the dwellings have been constructed very close to the streams with some even on the main course of the channels, which fortunately remained dry for almost two decades since the last two floods in the early 1990s.
This flood has exposed corruption as officials blatantly allowed the dwellers to continue there without evicting them till the tragedy struck.
Industrial units
It could be seen that some industrial units too had been functioning illegally adjacent to one of the channels namely Sangelipallam Odai that got flooded, N. Shanmugasundaram, a social activist and president of Nallur Consumer's Welfare Council, points out further.
Interestingly, many political parties had been holding agitations periodically to obtain patta for those living in many of the affected areas with an eye only on the vote bank.
The politicians, at least from now, should stop indulging in such crusades, observed Mr. Shanmugasundaram.
