Hailstorm accompanied by summer rain damaged cardamom cultivation in 500 acres and damaged 19 houses in Elamala, one of the highest peaks in Western Ghats, near Kumily in Idukki district, on Saturday afternoon.
Rain started by 2.30 p.m. on Saturday and for nearly 45 minutes heavy hailstones fell from the air. Houses with tin and asbestos roofs were destroyed completely, said Anavilasam village officer Mathew, who visited the spot on Sunday. The remoteness of the place, which lies in between the Peerumade and Udumbanchola taluks, made it difficult for officials to visit the area on Saturday.
He said that huge hailstones were seen in the area even in the evening. Damage was caused to trees also with leaves falling and bark damaged in the hailstorm.
Elamala is known for its extreme cold climate and is termed as one of the most suitable places for cardamom cultivation. Besides cardamom, coffee, pepper and plantain cultivations were also damaged in the hailstorm.
Murugan, one of the residents of Elamala whose house was destroyed in the hailstorm, said that his family rushed out of the house when the hailstones started falling on their roof. He said that his tin-roofed house was completely destroyed, as if some heavy stones fell on it.
Hailstorm caused crop damage in Sultania estate too.
District Collector Ashok Kumar Singh who visited the spot said that the Revenue and Agriculture Department officials were preparing an estimate of the damage. The district administration will take steps to compensate for the losses.
Udumbanchola MLA K.K. Jayachandran; Peerumade MLA E.S. Bijimol; Principal Agriculture Officer K.K. Chandran; Udumbanchola Deputy tahsildar Thulaseedaran; and officials of Revenue Department visited the area.
