The government has sanctioned ₹50 lakh towards immediate compensation for houses destroyed or damaged in rain fury in the district earlier this month.
The fund was allocated by the Disaster Management Department. Ambalappuzha taluk has been provided ₹10 lakh. The other five taluks — Cherthala, Karthikappally, Mavelikara, Chengannur and Kuttanad — received ₹8 lakh each.
Earlier, the department sanctioned ₹3.5 lakh each to six taluks for running relief camps. Officials said the district administration had sought further assistance of ₹3.5 crore from the government.
Heavy rains, strong winds and coastal erosion have left a trail of destruction in the district. As per the official assessment, at least 29 houses were destroyed and 653 houses damaged in six taluks. The Ambalappuzha taluk bore the brunt of the adverse weather, where 13 houses were destroyed and 374 others suffered damage. In Karthikappally, four houses were destroyed and 125 others were damaged.
In Kuttanad, five houses were destroyed and 55 others were damaged. At least six houses were destroyed and 52 damaged in Cherthala. In Mavelikara, one house was destroyed and 31 others were damaged, while 16 houses suffered damage in Chengannur. The total loss was pegged at ₹4.48 crore.
The preliminary loss suffered by various sectors in the district due to the rain fury was estimated at ₹30 crore. Apart from massive damage to property, paddy cultivation in 477 hectares got washed away and vegetable cultivation in 787.84 hectares was destroyed. The agriculture sector suffered damage to the tune of ₹14.89 crore. Besides, the fisheries sector suffered a loss of ₹4.26 crore.