Land, housing major challenge for Wayanad

Kalpetta: Although rains have subsided, the biggest challenge the district administration has to face now is rehabilitation of 500 to 800 families who have lost houses in a series of landslides and flash floods. the district administration has directed all departments for coordination of cleaning  houses on a war footing.

Despite rains backing out, 24,373 persons including 10,115 women and 4,960 children still remain in relief camps. For most of them houses are partially damaged. 381 houses have been destroyed entirely whereas 1,492 houses have been damaged partially.  

Pozhuthana, a small village panchayat has witnessed about 50 landslides where hundreds of families left for relief camps. More than a hundred families are not ready to go back to their houses as it is a landslide-prone area. Many of houses in the neighborhood have vanished in the rain fury.

District collector Kesavendra Kumar sought the help of organisations, various public forums and volunteer groups for the rehabilitation of the families who still live in relief camps.   Many of the families are  not at all ready to return to the same land as major part of the land has been washed off in landslides.

Providing shelter to these families and providing them with land and a house is the next big thing before the district administration and people of Wayanad, said Mr Kumar, adding that a united effort is essential for achieving this. “Another major issue is lack of jobs for daily labourers including tribals”, he said.  For more than two months all these families have been struggling to make their two ends meet”, he added.

Meanwhile, the district received less rainfall on Tuesday (9.4 millimeter).

So far, the district has received 3,303 millimeter rain in the monsoon season till date whereas it had received only 1,145.58 millimeter rain in the same period last year.