Chellanam in Kerala’s West Kochi breathes easy as sea condition eases

The sea condition improved on Thursday, and Kannamaly and Cheriyakadavu in Chellanam panchayat breathed easy though the coastal village had braced up for more flooding compared to Wednesday. Chellanam panchayat president K.L. Joseph said around a hundred houses close to the seashore continued to be under threat and people from 18 households had shifted to either their relatives’ houses or have taken houses on rent in view of the rough sea condition and flooding on Wednesday.

The panchayat president said that the people were not willing to shift to camps and that only four adult males were present at the facility at Kannamaly Forane Church parish hall. Kannamaly is the worst-affected though the sea has considerably subsided on Thursday. Mr. Joseph said that food was being distributed to the most-affected households either by voluntary agencies or by the department of revenue.

Tetrapod work

Father John Kandathiparambil in Kannamaly, who is also part of Care Chellanam, a voluntary body of people in the coastal village demanding comprehensive action for coastal protection, said that the tetrapod works, now in progress, had helped prevent flooding in some of the areas. Tetrapods are being deployed in place of granite boulders as a measure to contain coastal erosion.

Father John said that the tetrapod works were satisfactory so far and he expected the works to progress fast. He said that the tetrapod works had began from South Chellanam fishing harbour. The first phase will cover 7.5 km. The second phase is expected to cover a total length of 10 km of the coast, he added.

V.T. Sebastian of Chellanam-Fort Kochi Janakiya Vedhi, said that people continued to be in fear because the sea condition can become worse any time as it is the monsoon season. He said that there was no big problem on Thursday morning but people were bracing up for possible flooding in the evening.