Call to deploy volunteer groups to monitor sea fury in Chellanam

The Hindu

2 days ago

The Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedhi has called for volunteer groups to monitor the sea's changes and the intensity of the high tide-induced seawater intrusion associated with full moon, anticipated around June 11 as per the moon phase calendar.
A message to this effect has been issued to panchayat ward members and other youth and voluntary organisations in Chellanam to enlist volunteers. During full moon-induced high tide, the intrusion of waves into the shore is likely to be greater at night than during the daytime. Hence, the volunteers must stay up through the night and keep vigil to monitor the situation.
'If the high tide-induced wave intrusion takes a turn for the worse when everyone is asleep, it could pose a grave threat. Besides, these volunteers should monitor the sea even during the daytime through all eight days when the impact of the full moon is likely to last. They should keep an eye out for oceanic currents, wind direction and speed, whether the water is murky, and the movement of clouds,' said V.T. Sebastian, general convener of the Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedi.
The volunteer groups should collect the contact numbers of all households along the vulnerable stretch of the coastline. Alerts, if any, should not be restricted to WhatsApp messages, since late-night messages may go unnoticed. Phone calls should be made whenever necessary rather than relying on messages. Personal visits should be made to households without phones.
People should be asked to keep their mobile phones fully charged. Vehicles, valuables like home appliances, and documents should be shifted to houses, which have so far not been affected by seawater intrusion. Volunteers should extend special attention to the elderly, the sick and those living alone, Mr. Sebastian said.
'Increased depth along the shore has made Chellanam highly vulnerable to sea erosion. There is no solution other than reducing the depth along the shore,' he said. Out of the 19 wards of the Chellanam panchayat, all except three wards are vulnerable to varying degrees of coastal flooding, while wards 2 to 10 remain the worst affected.
He said the new moon-induced tides since May 25 did not cause much havoc, thanks to the movement of the oceanic current from the north to south and the north-west wind direction, both of which were a rare phenomenon.
The Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedi staged a protest in the sea on May 24, demanding a comprehensive package for coastal protection amid rising sea levels and the threat of coastal flooding during the rainy season.