Flood waters of the Vembanad lake have begun to rise and the coastal island of Mulavukad has been affected on Friday evening.
With high-tide worsening the situation, people have started leaving their residences to relatively safe places. A rope has been tied across the road to help people cross the inundated stretch without being swept away by the strong current.
Baby Prabhakaran, in her 60s, almost had a fall despite hanging on to the rope, but was saved by local volunteers who extended a helping hand.
“The shrimp farms on either side of the road have made things worse. Else there would have been proper protection against such water intrusion,” said Dineshan, a local resident, whose house is in danger of being submerged.
Baby, another local resident, said that since 1961 such a phenomenon has not been seen. "Normally, water drains out during low tide. But with the Periyar in spate, that can’t be guaranteed," he said.
A traditionally low-lying area, there is no scope for running relief camps, lamented Pramod, a former member of the Mulavukad panchayat.
"It would be better to camp on boats till the situation gets better," observed Saju Balakrishnan, a boat operator in the area who was engaged in rescue operations in the neighbouring Kadamakkudy panchayat.
As water level continues to rise, vehicles are seen lined along the Container Terminal Road.
