THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Intermittent rain and consequent damage continued to batter the district on the third consecutive day. A tribal youth drowned in a stream connecting Vamanapuram river at Velavoor near Venjaramoodu around Monday noon. The man, who is yet to be identified, went missing after he got down into the stream for a bath. His body has been recovered.
A 58-year-old woman named Omana was swept away in the strong undercurrents in Neyyar river on Monday as she got down to take a bath at Mavilakkadavu near Kulathoor, Neyyattinkara. The search for the person had to wound up in the evening. A team of fire and rescue officials along with divers will resume the search on Tuesday.
Landslips and mudslips were reported again at Parassala and Vizhinjam. Water carried portions of earth and led to the accumulation of debris on the railway track at Parassala again on Monday, the same spot where the landslip occurred on Saturday. This made the efforts of railway authorities difficult as they were on the job for the past two days in removing the soil. Mudslip occurred near a house at Vizhinjam following heavy rain that lashed the district on Sunday night. However, no casualty has been reported.
Though the partially collapsed Maruthathoor bridge on the national highway at Neyyattinkara was strengthened using metal rocks, traffic is prohibited along the stretch. Only two-wheelers are allowed to travel between TB Junction and Moonukkallinmoodu at Neyyattinkara.
491 people in 22 relief camps
As the rain continues to batter the district, three more relief camps have been opened. With these, 491 people have been relocated in 22 camps. The newly opened camps are Poozhikunnu Government LP School, Attipra Attinkara Government LP School and Manacaud Kalady Government HSS in Thiruvananthapuram taluk.
Neyyattinkara taluk has the highest number of camps. A total of 176 people from 82 families are staying in eight camps here, while 95 persons from 32 families are staying in seven camps in Thiruvananthapuram taluk. There are two camps each in Nedumangad (46 people from 18 families), Kattakada (71 persons from 27 families) and Chirayankeezhu taluks (23 persons from six families).
Confusion in Neyyattinkara
Even though district collector Navjot Khosa declared holidays for schools in Nedumangad and Kattakada taluks on Monday, holiday announcement came slightly late for the students of Neyyattinkara taluk. The collector’s statement came for Neyyattinkara taluk only at 9 am and by then the students had already reached the schools.
So they had to wade back home amid the rain. General Education Minister V Sivankutty told mediapersons that he would enquire about the delay in declaring holidays in Neyyattinkara. “I will check with the collector about what went wrong,” he said.
The decision to operate schools at Thiruvananthapuram and Chirayinkeezhu taluks invited criticism from various quarters. It was alleged that the schools in these two taluks were functioning as the government conducted state-level launch of Plus One classes at Government Higher Secondary School at Manacaud on Monday. However, the minister refuted the charges.
Flooding in many parts have led to the need for exercising caution against rat fever. District Medical Officer Dr K S Shinu said the public and rescue workers should be vigilant against rat fever. Those going to the waterlogged areas should wear gloves and socks. People with wounds on their hands and feet should not get into water. Doxycycline, an anti-epilepsy pill, should be administered by those who go down to the water, including rescue workers, as recommended by health professionals. Those in contact with contaminated water should seek treatment at the nearest health centre as soon as they notice symptoms such as high feverand red eyes, the district medical officer said.
Holiday for schools
The District Collector has announced holiday on Tuesday for schools in Kattakada, Nedumangad and Neyyattinkara taluks due to the risk of landslides in the hilly areas and heavy rain in the low lying areas. However, the holiday will not apply to public exams and online classes.
114 Houses damaged in the rain
Partially damaged 109
Fully damaged 5
Landslips at Parassala
Landslips and mudslips were reported again at Parassala and Vizhinjam. Water carried portions of earth and led to the accumulation of debris on the railway track at Parassala again on Monday, the same spot where the landslip occurred on Saturday.
Eight camps in neyyattinkara
Neyyattinkara taluk has the highest number of camps. A total of 176 people from 82 families are staying in eight camps here, while 95 persons from 32 families are staying in seven camps in Thiruvananthapuram taluk. The 3 newly opened camps are Poozhikunnu Govt LP School, Attipra Attinkara Govt LPS and Manacaud Kalady GHSS