KOCHI: Sleep was cut short in the dead of the night for those residing behind the Kerala Water Authority’s Thammanam pump house as the gush of 1.15 crore litres of water knocked them awake at 2.30am on Monday.
“We heard a loud noise, and initially thought it could be a thunder strike. Soon, the compound walls collapsed with a thud. Only then did we look outside, and saw water rushing along and vehicles being carried away,” said Jeevitha, 35, whose car and two-wheeler were wrecked by the current of muddy water.
For Jisha, who lives in the house first in the affected lane, the damage has been huge. “It’s going to be really difficult to get our house back in order. The sad part is that none of this is our fault. All the furniture on the ground floor, appliances including fridge, washing machine and motor, and everything else have been ruined. Children couldn’t go to school today as they stayed up all night after the tank collapse.
We escaped a major tragedy as we were sleeping upstairs,” she said. “Water flowed through the road for around two hours until the tank had drained out,” Jisha said. The local residents said they had regularly been notifying the authorities of the huge amount of water leaking through the cracks in the tank.
“The road and the compound walls nearby have all been damaged due to the dampness for a long time,” said a resident. More than 10 houses were affected by the incident, besides a primary health centre nearby.
“There is a risk of leptospirossis as a few cases have been reported in the region nearby. Preventive medicines are being given to all those who took part in the cleaning process,” said Dr Ann, the medical officer in charge of the primary health centre.
Ernakulam Collector Priyanka G visited the site. She said officials would carry out a detailed inspection, with a decision on compensation set to be taken after assessing the losses. Thrikkakara MLA Uma Thomas and Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar have also promised to ensure suitable compensation for the losses suffered.