An extra long curtain blocking the view of the Periyar on either side of the Marthanda Varma Bridge in the heart of Aluva told the tale of this riverside town on Friday.
For local residents and even passers-by, no other subject held any interest, other than how high the Periyar waters had risen. It was when curiosity slowed down motorists who wanted to take a look at the swollen river and even take a few snaps, eventually holding up traffic, that the authorities came up with an ingenious way.
While it was just a matter of curiosity for outsiders, it was more of anxiety for those living near the river. They were worried about the rising water levels that would possibly drive them out of their homes to relief camps. At last count, there were 16 camps with 1,250 inmates and counting.
Footfalls at Aluva Manappuram have risen considerably over the last couple of days, but they had nothing to do with belief or Vavu Bali, as both the Siva Temple and the Bali Mandapam remain submerged. People simply strolled in and stood staring at the Periyar that flew by with a ferociousness unseen in quite a long time.
“There is no sign of water having risen from what it was on Thursday, and things remain under control. In fact, there has even been a drop. Even with the increased water flow from the Cheruthoni dam, we are expecting a rise of around 1.50 metres,” said Aluva tahsildar Sandhya Devi K.T.
But that did not seem to stem the flow of people, as they flocked in droves to Manappuram, forcing the police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel to put up a barricade of rope to stop the more enthusiastic lot from ‘testing the waters’.
Standing behind the barricade, they continued their ‘stand-and-stare’ routine when a radio suddenly crackled into life nearby drawing their attention. Many eyes fell on the youngster in a fluorescent pullover and the radio attached to his hip, as a man in breaking voice alerted to an impending lifting of the dam shutter, releasing more water.
As it can only be about the Cheruthoni dam, Ashwin, a third year B.Sc Computer Science student of a college at Thrikkakara, one of the many amateur radio operators deployed along the entire route of the water flow from Idukki to Ernakulam to monitor the rise and flow of water, was in the middle of a group of attentive listeners.
“We keep on giving give minute-by-minute updates on the ebb and flow of water to our control station, which will pass them on to the Ernakulam and Idukki collectorates,” said the youngster who has taken up the hobby of amateur radio, popularly known as ham radio, and was visibly enjoying all the attention.
As all this happened, there was a group of Fire and Rescue Services personnel idling on a rubber dinghy waiting to be called into action. Only, they will be hoping along with others that things never came to such pass.
