As the unrelenting rain continued to submerge the vulnerable areas in the neighbourhood, P.A. Sojan and his staff at the Chendamangalam Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (No: H-47) were quick to read the cue and busied themselves shifting their stock worth lakhs to the upper floor away from the prying reach of floodwaters.
Mr. Sojan, the secretary of the society, knew only too well that he could ill afford to take chance with the nature’s fury. For, the last time when the flood ravaged Chendamangalam, famed for its skilled handloom weavers, products worth around ₹70 lakh belonging to the society were either washed away or left wasted. In fact, it was one of the worst affected cooperative societies during the last flood.
And the flood had played havoc almost during the same time last year, just days ahead of Onam, which accounts for their best sales. “This year, we have stocked products worth ₹78 lakh, which we have wrapped up in plastic covers and are moving upstairs. If the rain relents, we will be able to salvage the Onam sales, else it will be the same story from last year as the purchasing power of consumers may also be hit,” Mr. Sojan said.
Floodwaters had already dealt a harsh blow to handlooms of 64 weavers working from their homes in the vicinity. Another 38-strong handloom unit working for the society had also been affected. Last year, the entire 102 handlooms were lost in the flood and nearly ₹30 lakh had to be spent to restore them.
“This time, we might be able to salvage the wooden framework of the handlooms. Yet, we may have to spend around ₹20,000 each to restore those 102 handlooms towards the loss of accessories and the materials they were working on,” said Mr. Sojan.
And the production will be hit till they are restored, which could prove to be a body blow to the weavers who were just about recovering from the huge set back from the previous year’s flood.
