Kerala rain havoc: Chengannur still gasping

Alappuzha: Chengannur has a long way to go before it can hope to recover fully from the devastation caused by the floods. Many areas are still flooded and the people remain in their houses awaiting food and water, unwilling to move to relief camps.

Army teams are engaged in supplying essential items by going to the inaccessible areas by various means, including boats. The team from VIII Engineering Battalion of Madras Regiment led by Captain Syed Ashed Ahemad based at the engineering college ground conducted rescue operations right from the morning on Monday.

They had to travel through submerged areas between Chamakkavu temple and Punthalathazham in Venmony panchayat, which is 15 km from Chengannur town.

The areas under wards IV, V, VI, IX are under five-foot water. A vast expanse of paddyfield called Changamala padasekharam lies submerged.

On either side of the road, two-storied buildings remain half-submerged from where the residents, including children and elderly women in drenched cloth, came out hearing the whistle of the Armymen moving in a boat. When the team threw food packets, men had to wade through water to collect them. The elderly people stood emotionless and curious children looked at the rescuers who smiled cheerfully. But none wanted to leave their houses as water was receding.

A man standing on the upstairs of a house, where he had taken refuge, shouted at the team to get his clothes from his own house nearby which was tumbling down. However, he did not want to be rescued and hence the rescuers left saying "human life is our priority, not garments."

Anil Kottaram, a CPI activist, who got into the boat said there were 830 families in the area, out of whom, 500 had left. On Sunday there was at least seven feet of water, but it had come down to two on Monday.

He said an official alert about the floods had come on August 15, but none expected such a disaster. Now the two-storied houses have become relief camps housing at least 20 people each. A boat with relief materials came only after August 17 and by then the water level had started falling. So far, two elderly women have died as they were unable to get medical assistance.

MLA blames Revenue dept

Chengannur MLA Saji Cheriyan on Monday alleged that Revenue Department failed to ensure supply of  enough food materials to Christian College, one of the main camps in Chengannur town.