Bund breaches, Kuttanad situation turns grim

Alappuzha: Bund breach once again has made the life of Kanakassery settlement miserable.

The bund, which covers three Padashekharams including Valiyakari, Meenapally and Kanakkassery spans over 750 acres, was on the brink for the last couple of days since the water level went up in Pampa river.

It breached Saturday midnight, submerging 750 acres of crops and all homes and displacing some 600 residents to relief camps.

The evacuation began in the early morning.

The breach of Kanakkassery bund, one of the vulnerable places in the low-lying Kainakary Panchayat, had driven people to same plight last year as well and they were still struggling to come to terms with it.

The water seeped into the residences, which got maintenance just a while ago.

The agriculture department strengthened the bund, but it failed to withstand the pressure of water this time.

Shylaja, the mother of two graduates hailing from Kuttamangalam, is unable to stop her emotion as the water shattered their life again. Last year she had to live a month in a camp, and their lives have been turned upside down.

"I have sent our children to a relative's house while husband Shibu was in a camp in Alappuzha. We were struggling to cope up with the life devastated last year. Now, misery has hit us again," she laments.   

Jyothi, a resident of Ettintemoola of Kuttamangalam, whose father is disabled, was struggling overnight to save her father.

She managed to take him to the camp at SDV LPS on Sunday morning.

 She said that they were asked by the authorities to leave the place immediately after the bund breached.

"Our life collapsed again. I don't know how long we have to live here in the same way. It has become an annual ritual', she says.

Maniyan, another resident,  who sent his family to the relief camp in the morning, had managed to keep their valuables on the top of the house. His house, recently maintained, now stand half submerged. "The crops in the entire area have now gone. I had crops in the 30 cents', he said.

Meanwhile, district collector Dr Adeela Abdulla visited the place and ensured immediate evacuation of residents from the marooned area. The district administration has not yet estimated the damage but opened enough camps to accommodate flooded people.

According to the district administration, 47 camps have been opened, accommodating 4,117 people across the district. Since more place falls underwater, the number can go up.

Alappuzha-Chnaganassey route was cut off since many parts were inundated.