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Time of India
30-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Earth has settled, but lives are yet to find firm ground
A sharp sob broke the silence at the mass gravesite. A woman collapsed beside the twin graves of Panakkadan Shajahan and his daughter Faiza as the cleric ended their death anniversary prayers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Poovi has fainted... It was too much for her," said an elderly relative as others rushed to help. Nearby lies the scattered grave of Shajahan's mother Panakkadan Jameela - buried across six different plots after her body was found in fragments. "How can one find closure when she lies scattered like that?" asked Mohammed Koya, kin to the Panakkadan family. One year has passed since a rain-triggered landslide on July 30 turned Chooralmala and Mundakkai into ghost villages in Kerala's Wayanad. Of the 298 confirmed dead or missing, 57 families were wiped out entirely, leaving no heirs to even claim the Rs 8 lakh ex gratia. Over 56 unidentified bodies and 213 body parts were interred at Puthumala burial ground - now a grim monument to nature's violence. At the epicentre, 5km away, crushed homes and debris line Punnapuzha's watery path. A year ago, the river carried down sludge, boulders, bodies, entire plantations over an 8km stretch. Today, wild elephants roam the abandoned gardens. Officials hailed the rehabilitation response as one of Kerala's largest, but gaps glare. Each affected person is eligible for Rs 2 lakh to rebuild their lives. Execution remained slow. Govt extended monthly support - Rs 6,000 in rent aid and Rs 9,000 in livelihood aid for up to two family members. A township is being built for the 402 most-affected families. But many remain outside the list. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Govt has used a filtering-out method," said district panchayat president Shamshad Marakkar. "Meppadi panchayat submitted a list of 545. The final list was cut to 402." Despite Rs 772 crore collected in public contributions, only Rs 100 crore has been spent so far, he said. The ex gratia list revealed oversights. In Chooralmala, Vipin lost the house he had rented out. His name was excluded, while his tenants received compensation. The psychological toll remains immense. A post-disaster needs assessment of 1,231 people found over 35% reported trauma-related symptoms. Survivor Usman Bappu Koikkal suffers panic attacks during heavy rain. "Even a motorcycle ignition makes my heart race," he said. "I take three tablets a day just to stay stable." Shopkeepers and small business owners have been left especially vulnerable. Losses run into crores. Govt offered no direct compensation. Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi stepped in with Rs 2.3 crore for 55 shopkeepers. Pookkattil Aboobacker, once among Chooralmala's wealthiest residents, now lives in a rented house near Muppainad, reliant on charity to support his 11-member family. He owned 11 rental shop units and plantation land, including a 2-acre cardamom plot. All of it now lies buried or abandoned. With dialysis thrice a week and Rs 14 lakh in unpaid loans, Aboobacker said: "Now I depend on others to survive." The fight is not against rubble - it's against time, fatigue and fading attention. "The physical wounds have almost healed," survivor Bappu said. "But mentally, I'm still trapped in that night." The earth may have settled, but lives are yet to find firm ground.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Chellanam residents left at the mercy of surging sea
Kochi: As powerful waves continued to lash Chellanam coastal area on Monday, house of Nelson Chooledath Parambil in Cheriyakadavu stood vulnerable despite desperate attempts to block the advancing seawater. Sandbags that lined the veranda proved ineffective against the surging tides. Inside, Nelson, his wife and 70-year-old mother Mary Pathrose watched in anxiety as saline water crept closer. As monsoon intensified, Chellanam coast witnessed the worst sea surge in the past four years, giving sleepless nights to hundreds of families. More than 500 houses were badly affected and one house in Cheriyakadavu region was destroyed in the sea surge on Sunday evening. On Monday afternoon, around 200 houses in Cheriyakadavu region were damaged due to seawater incursion, and locals staged a blockade on Kannamali Road. A coordination of social organizations called for a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Chellanam panchayat and West Kochi area on June 30, demanding extension of tetrapod sea wall to more areas of Chellanam coastal area. "We're living in constant fear — it can enter the house completely at any moment," said Nelson, a painting worker. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo After a decade-long protest by hundreds of families across various parts of Chellanam panchayat, authorities completed construction of a 7.36-km-long tetrapod seawall — from Chellanam fishing harbour to Puthenthodu Beach —in Dec last year. However, coastal residents now say that sea erosion has worsened in Kannamali and Puthenthodu areas where tetrapods have not been installed. Geobags placed in several parts of the area were washed away in the sea surge. "Impact of sea surge has been most severe in the stretch from Puthenthodu to Kaithaveli. With sewage tanks overflowing, health officials are concerned about the risk of communicable diseases spreading in affected areas," said Chellanam-Kochi people's forum general convener V T Sebastian. "The forum plans strong protest programmes in the coming days. Organizations such as Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, Swathanthra Malsya Thozhilali Federation, bus operators' associations, self-help groups in Chellanam and arts and sports clubs have agreed to cooperate with the hartal," said Sebastian.
