ALAPPUZHA:The coastal areas of Alappuzha are increasingly becoming prone sea erosion due to high tidal currents, torrential rains and fast-blowing winds.
The worst-affected places are Ambalappuzha, Thottapalli, Purakkad and Cherthala and the people have been warned to stay cautious. “Houses are getting washed away overnight and the government has remained ignorant towards the situation. In Purakkad alone, almost 26 people lost their houses to the rough seas last year and 16 among them still stay in camps,” said V C Madhu, panchayat president.
The waves have consumed nearly a kilometre of the beach land and are nearing the sea wall which was constructed following the tsunami in 2004, he said.
About 800 houses situated along the coastal areas from Thottapally to Purakkad are under threat and the government should take necessary action in reallocating them at once, he said. The national highway which lies only 20 metres away from the beach may also be affected if the situation persists.
Studies carried out by the Chennai IIT states that a sea wall at a distance of at least 4 kilometres away from the sea should be constructed for the safety of the coastal regions. The present seawall stands at a proximity of below 500 metres in some areas and it shrank to few meters in other areas. This poses a threat to the residents.
Coastal regions like Punthala, Karoor and Achalumkavu in the Purakkad panchayat, Komana and Kakkazham of the Ambalappuzha South panchayat and the Neerkunnam and Vandanam in the Ambalappuzha North panchayats have no seawall.Areas like Kuttanad and Mankombu have also been affected due to the rain and the A C Road has already been flooded affecting traffic. The unseasonal rainfall have also affected the crop cultivation in the areas.The residents said the absence of ‘pulimutt’ affects sea attack in the district.