KOCHI: Heavy rain battered several parts of Ernakulam district on Wednesday, inundating places like Kalamassery, Edappally, North Paravoor, Thrikkakara, Tripunithura and many areas under the Kochi corporation.
Waterlogging also led to traffic congestion on major roads including M G Road and the Aroor-Edappally stretch of NH66. Areas including Kaloor, Kangarappady and Vallathol Junction too reported congestion. The authorities have expressed concern the situation may turn worse if the rain continues overnight.
The district administration opened relief camps after the torrential rain that lasted for almost the whole day flooded many regions. In Thrikkakara municipality, water entered houses in nearly every ward, said councillor Unni Kakkanad.“Every ward in Thrikkakara is experiencing waterlogging. We have opened two relief camps, at Government LP School, Thrikkakara, and M A Aboobacker School, Kakkanad. People are being shifted from the affected areas. As many as 40 people were shifted to the camp by Wednesday evening,” he said.
A few students even sought the help of a JCB driver to return to their hostel. They were transported in the JCB loader.
Late on Tuesday, the outer wall of the Vamana Moorthy Temple in Thrikkakara had collapsed following heavy rain. A relief camp has been opened in North Paravoor too, at the government UP School.
“As the national highway work is going on in this area, the drains and canals are blocked. Water has entered houses near the construction area. A lack of preparedness ahead of the monsoon has led to flooding,” said Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, who is also the North Paravoor MLA.
Around 20 families have been affected by flooding and were shifted to relief camps. The condition would worsen if the rain continued overnight, Satheesan added.
In Kalamassery, the downpour on Wednesday inundated the V R Thankappan Road. The residents in the area were left struggling as power went off.
“We are unable to even start the rescue operations as there is no electricity. There is flooding in areas near Thottachaal Canal and we have no idea how many families are affected,” said V P Siyad, a resident of Kalamassery.
The residents of Thammanam will also be shifted to relief camps if required, the authorities said.
No of people in relief camps (as of May 29)
M A Aboobaker LPS, Kakkanad: 28
Kalamassery VHSS: 20
Kannenkulangara Govt LP School, Paravoor: 2
Thrikkakara Govt LP School: 16
Emergency meet convened
In the wake of incessant rain, District Collector N S K Umesh convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday night. The collector directed all tahsildars and village officers to be on alert 24/7, ready to handle any situation. He also contacted the Navy, Coast Guard, and Coastal Security, who have promised all assistance.