KOCHI: Residents of Kannamali in Chellanam panchayat took to the streets on Thursday to protest against the authorities’ failure to tackle the continuous sea surge that has resulted in the flooding of around 300 houses.
The protest, which included women and children, involved a road blockade from 9 am to 2 pm, urging the authorities to provide a permanent solution to the issue. The demonstration came to an end after revenue authorities assured the residents that steps would be taken to construct a tetrapod seawall. Antony Menamkattu, a resident of Kannamali, highlighted that the geo bags placed by the district administration were destroyed by the tidal waves on the very first day.
“The tidal waves breach the 10-foot-high seawall, causing seawater to inundate over 300 houses. This has become a regular occurrence for us during the monsoon season. Although the government-sanctioned a project to construct a tetrapod seawall spanning 12km, the original plan was altered, and the length of the seawall was reduced to 7.5km,” he said.