MALAPPURAM: Life has turned to hell for residents of three SC and ST colonies in Chaliyar Panchayat this monsoon. Around 85 houses at Mathil Moola SC and ST colony here are under the looming threat of flash floods and landslides while more than 160 tribal families at Vettilakkolli, Palakkayam and Plakkal Chola are unable to get food and healthcare.
Rain has simply made travelling an impossible task. “We are unable to sleep as the threat of flash floods from the river keeps us scared,” said Mohandas P, a resident of Mathil Moola colony. “A few days back, water entered the house even as we woke up at midnight.” Two weeks ago, families there were told to leave their houses following a flash flood after Kanjirappuzha river overflowed. Around 20 families were shifted to a nearby school while others managed to go to relatives’ houses.
A few of them stayed in the colony daring the flash flood as they didn’t want to leave their cows, goats and pets. According to local activist and former panchayat vice-president Suresh Thoniyil, a shift in the habit of the river has resulted in the current crisis. Chaliyar Panchayat has three more tribal colonies - Vettilakkolli, Palakkayam and Plakkal Chola - where residents are unable to travel to the nearby towns and get ration.