MUNNAR: A year after torrential rain triggered unprecedented devastation in Munnar, the hill station is witnessing another calamity. As rain continues to pummel Munnar, the town known for its pristine hills wears a deserted look. Most of the visitors have left Munnar after the district administration issued an alert.
Most of the shops and restaurants in the town down the shutters early as there are hardly any visitors. Hotel rooms are vacant as guests have deserted the hill station. The hoteliers here had a fairly good season earlier year as the hill station witnessed a heavy flow of tourists from January onwards. An eerie silence prevails in the town as incessant rain has triggered fears of landslide. Estate workers, autorickshaw drivers, shopkeepers and roadside vendors rush home by nightfall due to fear of landslides.
Water level in Muthirapuzha, which breached its banks two days ago inundating parts of the town, has receded. However, floodwater damaged roads making navigation risky. Though KSRTC operated a few services, there were not many passengers. “The industry was trying to recover from the huge loss caused by the flood last year when rain started pounding Munnar again. Hotels are empty and many guests are postponing their travel plans,”said a hotel owner.
“There are no guests in Munnar now. As it rained heavily for four days, guests have gone back. There was a series of landslips in the town and on the road leading to Munnar in the past couple of days. There is acute shortage of diesel and we have to travel 15 km to get it,” said Ganesh, an autorickshaw driver. Munnar witnessed 12 major landslides and 18 deaths during the flood last year. While 131 houses were flattened, 763 buildings suffered partial damage. A massive earthflow swept away a building on the Munnar Government College premises. The same premises witnessed a massive landslip on Wednesday, which partially damaged the road beneath.