KOCHI: Anitha stares at the bleak seascape with a resigned expression on her face, as the waves continue their relentless assault on the shore. “It’s not fair,” she sighs heavily. “The gods must hate us so much to let this happen, to force us to get holed up inside our homes as the seawall crumbles around us. All the menfolk are out of work and are whiling away their days. Hunger is knocking at our doors as our savings run dry...,” she rues.
Anitha and other residents of Chellanam are no strangers to hardship. Every monsoon, they wage a battle with the merciless sea, as it tears down all defences with disdain to flood their dwellings. Yet, in this monsoon season, when the triple lockdown has been imposed, their hardships have been more severe and unprecedented.
“Most of the residents rely on the sea for their livelihood. To be forced indoors during the ongoing fishing season due to quarantine has taken the wind out of their sails. Many are already struggling to make ends meet and are staring at year-long penury if they cannot go to sea this season. With the help of non-governmental organisations and police officials, kits have been distributed among the families to provide some respite. They are holding on to hope and prayers to see them through,” said Tinu, a volunteer in Chellanam. Lives have been thrown out of gear for the people of Chellanam, especially for those in wards 15 and 16, since July 3 when a woman tested positive for Covid-19.
In addition to the loss of livelihood, fear has gripped the residents as the threat of Covid-19 spread, as at Poonthura in Thiruvananthapuram, looms large. On Sunday itself, 19 persons contracted the virus in Chellanam, 17 from unknown sources.“There are residents who lived close by those who have tested positive. My children, studying in Classes 1 and 5, have come in contact with their families and we all have been put under quarantine. As part of the active surveillance measures, door-to-door swab sample collection is taking place in the wards and the Health Department has already collected our samples. The anxiety while waiting for the results bothers me the most,” said Gracy George, a resident of ward 15.
A Poonthura-like situation cannot be ruled out in Chellanam as it is also a close-knit community with houses lined very close to each other. “As of now, wards 15 and 16 of the panchayat are bracing for the worst, and cases are expected to be identified in other wards as well. Even when people who have tested positive claim bravely that it is not a big deal and that medicines for a few weeks will cure them of the disease, the fear is palpable,” said Tinu.