KOCHI: The UN team visiting the flood-affected areas in Ernakulam praised the district administration for its effective and flawless coordination of post-flood relief work. The team visited the Kerala Aqua Ventures International Ltd (Kavil) fish farm which suffered a Rs 2.20 crore loss in the flood. The office was completely damaged and six pacing units suffered major damage. The homestay units under the fish farm were also damaged. The revamping of homestays will cause an additional expense of Rs 11 crore. The damage to the training centre has caused a loss of Rs 34 lakh.
The team assessed the damage to the Chemmayam bridge in North Paravoor. The central portion of the bridge was already in a dilapidated position; the flood also totally damaged four pillars.In the afternoon, the UN team visited Kalady, where they studied the alarming decrease in the groundwater following the floods.
Some areas in Kalady, including Mattoor and Pirattoor, are facing an acute water shortage. The major sources of potable water here are the canals. However, most of the pump houses were broken in the floods and the flow of water through the canals is now disrupted.Panchayat president K Thulasi informed the UN team that 90 per cent of the business establishments in Kalady was submerged in the flood. Thirteen relief camps had been set up here.
The visiting team included UNDP representatives Philip Mathew, Abha Misra, John George, Michael Veda Siromani, UNICEF representatives P K Anand, Suranga D'silva, UNESCO representative Ranjini Mukherjee and UN Women representative Arpitha Varghese.
Taking stock
The team visited the Kerala Aqua Ventures International Ltd (Kavil) fish farm which suffered a Rs 2.20 crore loss in the flood
The team assessed the damage to the Chemmayam bridge in North Paravoor.
They studied the alarming decrease in the groundwater in Kalady following the floods