Nearly a year after they launched a stiff and protracted stir demanding protection from invading tidal waves, an unexpectedly strong bout of sea incursion, triggered probably under the influence of a full moon, caught the people of the coastal panchayat of Edavanakkad unawares on Friday afternoon (June 13).
Water gushed into many households, especially in wards 9 and 13 of the panchayat, with over 150 households badly affected. Many families were having their lunch when the saline water swept in. With the impact of full moon-triggered high tide expected to last another three to four days, not to mention the threat posed by the intensifying monsoon, the coastal population anticipates a replay of the nightmarish time from the previous year.
Kitchens and toilets in many households were flooded, making living nearly impossible. “Though the Goshree Islands Development Authority sanctioned ₹35 crore for the construction of a tetrapod in the face of our protest last year, no progress has been made since then. The production of tetrapods has to be done at the site by moving in machinery, and unless it is feasible, no company is going to participate in the tender. The initial estimate of ₹56.25 crore was scaled down to ₹35 crore, making the whole project unattractive,” said V.K. Iqbal, Edavanakkad panchayat vice president.
Geotextile bags alone are being laid, and even that too started only a week ago and is no way near completion. Even those already deployed have been unable to withstand the force of the intruding waves, he added.
Though the panchayat offered to open relief camps, the affected families were reluctant to move out, apprehensive about their valuables. In fact, a few houses are in such a precarious state that they cannot even be locked properly.
Kochuthresya Nishil, member of Ward 13, said that most households on a one-kilometre stretch in the ward had been badly affected. With the monsoon gathering momentum, families are staring at a prolonged period of flooding, she said.
On June 27 last year, over 300 residents of Edavanakkad had blockaded the arterial Vypeen-Munambam road, bringing traffic to a standstill. This was followed by a hartal called by Theera Samrakshana Samithi, a people’s collective, the very next day, when blockades were erected on the stretch of the State highway passing through the coastal panchayat.
“People are fed up with even protesting as agitations in the past have brought them little respite,” said Mr. Iqbal.
Published – June 14, 2025 12:24 am IST
