KOZHIKODE: Nilambur in Malappuram is witnessing a situation worse than the mid-August flood last year. The town has been marooned and water has entered hundreds of houses. People moving to the first floor of the house is a common sight in flood-hit regions. Heavy rain has been pounding the area since Wednesday night.
This coupled with landslides in the interior forests of Mancheeri and Akambadath resulted in heavy water flow from hillocks. This led to flooding of Karimbuzha and Chaliyar which in turn submerged Nilambur town.
Nilambur recorded 106.2 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am on Thursday. Many people woke up to chest-level water on Thursday morning. As many as 20 houses at Janathapady alone were inundated. Water entered hundreds of shops in Nilambur town causing loss to the tune of lakhs of rupees.
Water flowing into Nilambur from both sides left the place marooned. The tribal people of Mancheeri, Nedunkandam and Karulayi colonies were shifted to temporary camps. As many as five camps were opened in Nilambur.
Many people are put up at their relatives’ houses. A unit of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is camping in the area. Water-level has risen in downtown areas such as Mambad, Edavanna, Areekode, Vazhakkod and Edavannapara. Minor landslides at Karuvarakundu led to swelling of the river in the region. A hanging bridge at Thonikkadavu in Mampad was washed away in the rushing water.
Malappuram District Collector Jafer Malik, who is also the chairman of district disaster management authority (DDMA), has requested people not to visit Nilambur in the present situation.