KOCHI: Normal life was hit after heavy rain, accompanied by strong wind, continued to lash the district for the second day on Tuesday. The downpour resulted in the overflowing of rivers, flooding of several low-lying areas and uprooting of trees.
While the water level in the Periyar has risen since last night, the Aluva Mahadeva Temple was partially submerged by morning. Around 9am, water began entering the houses in Bosco Colony and Kuttikattukara, both areas belonging to ward 13 of Eloor municipality. According to reports, the premises of nearly 30 houses in these localities have been inundated, with the water threatening to gush into the houses.
“Water had filled up the nearby field when I left for work this morning. However, by around 11am, my mother rang up and said floodwater had entered our house premises and that it was rising. I rushed home to see at least five houses in Bosco Colony inundated. We’ll wait till evening, and based on the situation, will shift to the relief camp. Two or three families from our area have already moved out to the camp,” said Unnikrishnan, 37, a local resident who works with Indus Motors.
Idamula (ward 13) councillor Ismail K M said water began to rise suddenly, like in 2018. “Water first entered the house of Anjalose Peter early morning and continued to rise till 11am. We’ve also alerted the irrigation department officials and they immediately opened the regulator cum bridge at Eloor,” he said.
Nearly 20 families residing near Power Loom at Kuttikattukara have been badly affected, said Sanal Kannan, a social activist. “Many families have moved to camps. Eighteen people, including nine children, arrived at the camp by afternoon. The Eloor fire force officials also reached the spot and took stock of the situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, an irrigation department official pointed out that the water breach at the nearby river, a tributary of the Periyar, occurred due to non-removal of alluvium that got deposited in the 2018 and 2019 floods.
“Also, this is a time when the sea won’t take in the water from the streams due to the positioning of the moon. Hence, the residents along the riverbanks should remain extremely vigilant, especially during nights,” the official said.
Elsewhere, a tree got uprooted in Rameshwaram village near Thoppumpady while an old building at Mattanchery collapsed in the morning. There were heavy traffic jams in many areas like Vytilla, Irumpanam, Kakkanad and HMT junction, among others.