THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Once again, the Killiyar breached its banks and reached colony resident Indira Mohan’s home at Pazhayattinkuzhi near Eddapazhinji in the capital. The narrow river which was brimming due to rains a few days ago had gushed in fury after the Fridays rains creating havoc and knee-deep water inside her house. Indira, whose home is sheltered under a tarpaulin sheet, is a maid. Her husband Mohan owns a makeshift tea shop. The family has been staying on the banks for over 30 years along with 15 other families in the area. The floods, according to them is getting worse every year.
They blamed the lack of effort taken by the government to build a bund, which could help avert the floods. “ Earlier, we did not feel the impact much. However, now it has become very difficult to stay here,” adds Usha, another resident in the area. “ Two months ago, they came and cut down all the trees and removed the platforms which was built around our house,” she said. However, since the work of the bund had reached nowhere, Indira lost the remaining land to surging waters. Each house in the colony has more than eight members including old people and newborns. “ It is very difficult to carry the young children and pregnant women form one place to another during rains” says Usha. Most men in the area are working at the nearby fish market. Half of the women are working as maids. “Officials says we don’t have title deeds for our property. But for the past many years, we have been taking loans, mortgaging the property,” said Santhosh Kumar, who works at Eddapazhinji fish market.
Pattoor’s water woes
The issue is not different at Moonumukku in Pattoor where around 80 houses were damaged. Delay in clearing debris from the canal that routes the water from Amazhinjan canal, Killiyaru resulted in water inundation, said Chandrasheker Ramesh.