The floods have wiped out school infrastructure worth ₹17.2 crore in Ernakulam.
The list includes government and aided schools under the General Education Department.
Of the ₹17.2 crore total loss, the estimate of schools destroyed in flash floods comes to about ₹9 crore. Ninety-nine schools were affected by the deluge in the district. The buildings and compound walls of 30 schools were fully destroyed.
“Many schools in the flood-affected regions lost several equipments including computers, laptops, desktops, etc. Lab facilities, school furniture were also hit by the rushing waters,” said C. A. Santhosh, Deputy Director of Education, Ernakulam.
The schools submerged in the floodwaters lost projectors, furniture and garden facilities.
Mr. Santhosh pointed out that thousands of books were damaged. “On an average, a high school library has at least 3,000 to 5,000 books. This is a major loss, considering the fact that these books were collected over several years,” he said.
The Department officials said assessments made by agencies such as the World Bank took into account public buildings alone. However, aided schools have also suffered losses in the floods. The assistance made under the report given by the agencies might cover only government schools, they said.
The heads of various government schools said electrical cabling inside the buildings, labs and other facilities was severely damaged in the floods. Most of the affected schools will have to replace the damaged wiring systems. A headmistress of a government school in North Paravur said they had lost their generator and cooking stove (used for preparing mid-day meals). School buses were also damaged in the flash floods, they said.
Slides, swings and benches in parks in schools were also destroyed.
