Alappuzha: Hundreds of houses, public institutions and schools in 226 villages in the 16 panchayaths in the flood-ravaged Kuttanad were cleared of the muck, silt and water in the first day of the two-day ‘Operation Rehabilitation’ joined by thousands of volunteers cutting across colours of politics, caste and creed on Tuesday.
Apart from 50,000-odd people from the affected families, volunteers in their thousands, mainly youngsters, were seen pouring in the Alappuzha town on Tuesday morning, preparing themselves to be part of historic restoration and rehabilitation drive launched by the state government and the local civic bodies. They cleared houses in Kainkary, Pulinkunnu, Kavalam, Champakulam, Nedumudy, Neelamperoor, Ramankary, Muttar, Thakazhi, Cheruthana, Karuvatta, Pallipad, Veliyanad, Thalavady, Veeyapuram and Edathua panchayats.
Having been administered with preventive medicines of epidemics, the volunteers were taken from Alappuzha to Kuttanad in huge barges at 8 am. They dropped teams of volunteers in the various panchayths.
Clad in lungi, cloth around the head and with hand gloves, it was difficult to determine whether volunteers were local people or public servants.
The first barge, carrying at least 500 volunteers, had first-stopped in Kavalam panchayath, where water has receded substantially. Most houses in the panchayat had sludge in them, making them inhospitable.
Deccan Chronicle travelled along with the volunteers and caught up with many youngsters who included people from every walk of life: engineers, students, technicians, daily wage workers, employees, political workers--who are enthusiastically taking part in the massive mission.
Pranav, an engineering student, came all the way from Shornur in Palakkad district and was seen cleaning up the house of Akkama Mathew Mattancheril, former vice-president of Kavalam Panchayath.
He said he came here along with 10 other classmates to be part of the ‘operation’. “We noticed the dismal situation of Kuttanad a week ago,” he told DC. “We were planning to come down here for some days for helping the people who struggle to survive. We reached here on Monday night and on Tuesday morning and registered our names with the district administration. We will return only after completing the clean-up drive.”
Their team was split into two, and they cleared four houses on Tuesday. “We could not clear more than two houses a day as there was thick sludge inside the houses and surroundings. We first took furniture out of the rooms, and then washed all rooms with water, hand cleaner and brooms. All home appliances including TV sets and fridges were seen drenched in water. Clearing of a house really needs hard work,” says Asim, another engineering student hailing from Al-Ameen College of Technology, Shornur.
Government Technical High School, one of the proud education institutions in Kavalam panchyath was cleaned by a 33-mmeber team. They swept the floor of each classroom, peeling away the thick cover of salvinia on the courtyard with gloved hands and pieces of wooden sheets.
“We come from Ashramam of Alappuzha district,” said Raji, the leader of the team. “It’s important to get the school opened at earliest. We want the school to be ready when students return after Onam vacation. So we have given priority to the cleaning of schools,” he said.
The house of Jeenamol Varghese in Kavalam north, stood on Pampa river side, was seen completely thrashed by unprecedented flood. The fridge they used lay washed up by floodwater and abandoned behind the house in the thick muck. Prince Varghese, her husband, said the fridge can’t be used now. “We have been cleaning the house together for five days. But it is still halfway through. Today we got some volunteers to clean it. However, it will take at least week to remove it completely from the surrounding,”Mr Varghese said.
They cleared flooded domestic wells, repaired electrical problems and plumbing glitches in the houses.
Leftist organisation Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers were seen active in the mega clean-up drive. C.P. Jayaraj, DYFI state committee member, said workers from 15 blocks (50 from each block) in Kottayam district were currently in Kuttanad to take part of the campaign.
Bineesh, a daily wage worker from Kayalchira of Kavalam, who was seen cleaning utensils in the river water along with his wife, said they themselves had cleared the house as water started to recede. “We did not wait volunteers to come. We lost all items but we did manage to clean the muck soon after the water receded,” he said.
