Multiple landslips and subsequent flash floods, on Thursday, caused massive destruction in Kannappankundu, a small village in Puthuppadi panchayat, forcing around 30 families to relocate. The landslips claimed the life of a youth and destroyed two houses and severely damaged six others.
Residents in the area said the landslips, occurred atop the Mattikkunnu hillock on Wednesday night, badly hit the houses situated on the banks of the Kannappankundu River. As the water rose to alarming levels, the river bifurcated itself near the Kannappankundu market and rushed through several homesteads.
A bridge situated on the foothill of Mattikkunnu broke in the flash floods disrupting the bus service to the village from Thamarassery. Revenue authorities said the details of houses damaged on the other side of the Kannappankundu River were yet to be ascertained.
New house damaged
“Even a new house, owned by one T. Mujeeb, which was set for the house-warming ceremony on August 17 was damaged in the floods. As people noticed the rising water level in advance and took precautionary measures, it did not claim many lives in the thickly populated area,” said Joseph Devassia, a local resident. He said two relief camps opened by the Revenue Department in a nearby school helped the affected families to have a speedy relocation.
The villagers were in total distress and many of them were found desperately attempting to shift the furniture and other valuables from their water-logged houses to safer places. Some of the houses were remaining in the rushing floodwaters making it difficult salvage the valuables. The strong water flow even created big holes on the walls of several houses. Lamp posts and several trees on the riverbanks were uprooted in the heavy water flow.
“We have been highly alert since Wednesday midnight as such a sudden rise in the water level was first in our experience. The youth, Rijith, 23, lost his life when he hurriedly tried to shift his car to a safer location,”said M.K. Krishnakumar, another resident.
Majority of the houses damaged in the area were not very old and it would require a huge amount to compensate the loss, he said.
Ummer Syed, of Mattikkunnu, said the situation was horrifying as flood water touched the roof of several houses in the initial hours. The whole village was panic-stricken as no government rescue personnel were there to help the families, he said adding that it was a group of local youths who swung into action at the crucial hours to save them.
