Even as the monster waves that kept battering the coastline for two consecutive days have begun to subside on Sunday, protests continued to rage at Chellanam, one of the worst affected areas in the region.
Residents who have been affected by the sea incursion staged a blockade along the Chellanam-Pandikkudy Road, raising a host of demands including monetary compensation and clean-up works. “An average of 300 houses in each of the nine wards have been affected by the swelling waves, which has also raised concerns of a public health crisis. Urgent intervention is required to repair the damaged septic tanks and muddied drinking water sources,” said K.D. Prasad, vice-president, Chellanam grama panchayat.
The blockade, which continued for over an hour, was withdrawn on the intervention of Revenue authorities including the Deputy Collector and the Tehsildar, who will be holding a meeting with the protesters to take stock of the situation.
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According to Mr. Prasad, the village has reported at least two deaths, and several houses sustained damage. Attributing the widespread damage primarily to weak sea walls, he also pointed out that the worst affected area was the stretch between Maruvakkad Velankanni Church and bazaar areas where the seawall had not been built.
“Water rose up to one metre inside some houses and hundreds of families had to be evacuated overnight,” he said.
Meanwhile, the sea turned relatively calmer on Sunday though minor incursions were reported from a few areas between 9 a.m. and 12 noon during the day. “However, there is no respite for majority of those in the shelter camps as it may take a few more days before returning to their houses,” Mr. Prasad added.
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