SATHAR ISLAND:This time of the year, usually, the 114 families on Sathar Island move into an Onam celebration mood with loudspeakers and various programmes. This year, though, the residents are least bothered about Onam. For they are still searching for ways to start a fresh life after having lost everything to floods. Sathar Island is a remote island located in the middle of Periyar river, before it meets the Arabian Sea near Munambam. Falling under Vadakkekara panchayat close to Paravoor, the island is around 35 km from Kochi city. Ahaliya, a 50-year-old woman, narrated the experiences of the flood and its aftermath.
“There was flooding on the island earlier this month when the Cheruthoni dam was first opened. But it didn’t affect us. So, this time, we didn’t expect the impact to be severe when the dam water was released again. On August 14 night, the water level was slowly rising and we thought the situation will be under control. On August 15, the water was neck high in my house. Only then did we realise the need to move out of the place. Luckily, the police came to our house and rescued us,” she said.
They were shifted to a school in Kottuvallikkadu and later to another relief camp at Malliankara when the first camp too was flooded.Ahaliya’s husband Prakashan is a fisherman. The fishing gear kept outside the house are now lost. They were dejected to see the situation after returning home on Tuesday. “Though water has drained out from our house, mud is knee high,” Prakashan said.
“We couldn’t open the front door as mud had accumulated inside. We had to break the back door to enter the house. All our electronic equipment are damaged. The fishing gear kept on the premises of the house have been washed off.” For Manoj and his brother Vinoj, who rear cows, it was a heartbreaking scene. “Six cows died in the flood. We ran off from the island seeing the flood water and we couldn’t rescue the cows. We don’t know what to do now. The dead cows have to be disposed of. We don’t know whether we will get any compensation. Our house is also damaged,” Vinoj said.
The rehabilitation of the people on Sathar Island will be a daunting task for the authorities due to the transportation issue. The only way to reach the island is through a small bridge connecting it to Kottuvallikkadu. “Only two-wheelers and autorickshaws can access the bridge as it is very narrow as the bridge was not constructed for vehicles. The authorities are yet to approach us with any relief measure. The panchayat and the government always neglect our issues,” Ahaliya said.
Food, essential items go missing from relief camps
Paravoor: Relief camps in various parts of the district are being targeted by miscreants as food and essential materials are suspected to have gone missing from some camps. Volunteers running the camps have not taken up the matter with the authorities due to the food supply crisis in the market. A volunteer, who did not want to be named, said food and other goods had gone missing over the past two days. “We are sure people staying in the camp are not behind stealing food and other materials. Since the camp is open and given the absence of security arrangement, people from outside are entering the camps to steal goods. We had discussed the matter with other volunteers and decided not to report the matter,” he said. A similar issue was raised by volunteers in another camp in Paravoor on Tuesday.