KOCHI: As the Irrigation Department has failed to complete laying of geotubes in Chellanam, local residents are living in fear of a possible flood-like situation in future. Although eight geo-tubes having 25m length were laid by the department in 2019 near the Velankanni church, work is still pending in other high- risk areas of the village such as Bazaar and Companypady.According to Bazaar resident Babu K, the work on laying geotubes on two coastal reaches of the village should have been completed by the contractor Greenway Solutions before July 5. “`8 crore was spent on the project. A dredger which was brought by the company for the work got damaged last month due to high tide,” he said.
The residents blame the contractor for the unscientific construction of the eight geotubes near the Velankanni church, which are presently in a broken state. “As the geotubes have been erected near the rocks, its level has gone down which has led to considerable damage,” said Noby Thomas, a resident of Companypady.
Though the Irrigation Department had tried to solve the problem by laying the 2-m-long and 1-m-wide geobags in the area, they failed to protect the homes from high tides in the Bazaar area. “Geobags which have been kept on a temporary basis got damaged in certain areas and have to be replaced. Protests for proper protection from the rough waves have been going on ever since cyclone Ockhi struck the coast in 2017,” said a Chellanam resident.
Apart from Bazaar and Companypady areas, Vachakkal and Velankanni North also witness heavy flooding every year during monsoon. Residents here get stranded during heavy rain as homes and nearby roads get flooded. Around 175 houses are situated in the two areas of Bazaar and Companypady alone. Absence of relief camps due to the pandemic adds to the fear of residents. Regarding the possibility of opening relief camps, a Chellanam panchayat member said that local schools, parish halls and hospitals have been arranged. “However, due to the Covid-19 situation, there is uncertainty as to how elderly people can be accommodated,” said the panchayat member.
Executive engineer Koshy P S said that granite rocks that were collected after the demolition of 200m of seawall at Chellanam harbour will be used for making a barrier in the high-risk Bazaar area. “Geobags will be laid in other high-risk areas like Velankanni and Vachakkal for the time being. The work will be over in the next five days. A proposal to construct groynes in less vulnerable areas of Kandakadavu, Kannamali and Malakhapady is also being mooted,” he said.